Review by abmalada - Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng

abmalada 's review for:

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker

5.0

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This is one of the best horror novels I’ve read. Ignoring the ghost story portion, Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng was terrifying in its setting. It’s one thing to read creepy old stories by H. P. Lovecraft, it’s another to read a story told during a pandemic I lived through and about racism against Chinese when I remember the blame being placed on a market in Wuhan. At first, I wasn’t convinced on the setting of the book as I typically don’t like reading books that take place during the COVID-19 lockdown, but I think it was all woven together beautifully. This story, and the creepiness around it, wouldn’t have worked if Cora wasn’t Chinese, if the pandemic hadn’t happened, and if she didn’t have the neuroses she did because of everything that happened.

The ghost story itself felt like a horror movie, from the slow steps of the ghosts behind her, to Cora

being the last one left and screaming at the tangible ghosts.

It even had the death-every-other-scene trope that so many slashers have. As someone who doesn’t innately imagine books (I have to consciously try), the gore, while not over the top compared to some horror/gore novels, was enough that I didn’t love eating my lunch while reading this book.

Lastly, I thought Cora’s character development was interesting. I can see how it’s a weird writing style for some and could be boring, but her neurosis came from a place we could understand and we could tell, in real time, how it affected her psyche and how she grew past it. The Cora at the end of the book is a far cry from the Cora at the beginning.

Content Warnings