Thank you HTP Audio for the ALC and HTP / Netgalley, #partner, for the advanced e-copy of Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: MIRA / Harlequin Audio
Published: April 29, 2025
Summary:
Cora Zeng is a crime scene cleaner—but the bloody messes don’t bother her, not when she’s already witnessed the most horrific thing possible: her sister being pushed in front of a train. The killer was never caught, and Cora is still haunted by his last words: “bat eater.”
These days nobody can reach Cora: not her aunt, who wants her to prepare for the Hungry Ghost Festival; not her weird colleagues; and especially not the slack-jawed shadow lurking around her door frame. After all, it can’t be real—can it? After a series of unexplained killings in Chinatown, Cora believes someone might be targeting East Asian women, and something might be targeting Cora herself.
My thoughts:
As soon as I started hearing about this one, I knew I wanted to read it, even though I don’t tend to read horror. And no one is more shocked than I am by how much I loved it!
Let’s start with this cover…I’m obsessed with it. It perfectly embodies this story and sums up exactly how I felt while reading it – I wanted to stop at times because it’s such a tough, gritty, dark, difficult read and yet I couldn’t put it down…I couldn’t walk away. I was consumed with the way Baker told this story – her writing is lyrical yet brutal – again, much like this cover.
Pick this up if you like:
🦇 NYC settings
🦇 Creepy AF stories
🦇 Chinese folklore
🦇 True Crime Plotline/Serial Killer???
🦇 Pandemic story with social commentary
I cannot recommend this book enough…not only for the fantastic storytelling but also because of the way it forces you to reflect on your own experiences during this time and about the larger issues at hand – racism, cultural identity and more. It really is quite a powerful book and I implore you, once you’ve finished reading the book, the make sure you read the author’s note…it’s just as powerful as her story!
Audio thoughts:
I did an immersive reading experience, loving the narration on this one. Natalie Naudus really does a phenomenal job bringing this book to life!
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