Since Halloween is just a day away, I though I'd share some thoughts on some of my most recent horror reviews. Although I'd usually share my favorite reads for last and to share on Halloween, I liked these two books too much to wait, so I'm sharing them first!
Publication: April 29th, 2025
Cora Zeng is a crime scene cleaner, washing away the remains of brutal murders and suicides in Chinatown. But none of that seems so terrible when she’s already witnessed the most horrific thing possible: her sister, Delilah, being pushed in front of a train.
Before fleeing the scene, the murderer shouted two words: bat eater.
So the bloody messes don’t really bother Cora—she’s more bothered by the germs on the subway railing, the bare hands of a stranger, the hidden viruses in every corner, and the bite marks on her coffee table. Of course, ever since Delilah was killed in front of her, Cora can’t be sure what's real and what’s in her head.
She pushes away all feelings and ignores the advice of her aunt to prepare for the Hungry Ghost Festival, when the gates of hell open. But she can't ignore the dread in her stomach as she keeps finding bat carcasses at crime scenes, or the scary fact that all her recent cleanups have been the bodies of East Asian women.
As Cora will soon learn, you can’t just ignore hungry ghosts."
Bat Eater completely exceeded my expectations. I had heard pretty much nothing but good things about it, but it hit so much harder than I thought it would and is one that has really stuck with me.
This story takes place during the peak of COVID (so if you don’t want to read about COVID times, I’d steer clear) and touches on a lot of social issues that sparked during that time and still retain effects today. There are two threads of plots running through this one, and while I don’t think they were exactly given equal weight--or simply could’ve used more development in some ways--I think they did what they needed to for this story and I don’t have too many complaints about how Baker handled them. There are supernatural and folklore elements at play that hit the horror note hard and created some really spooky scenes, as well as an abundance of real-life horror that I’d argue hit harder and was much, much worse than anything else imagined.
Kylie Lee Baker touches on themes of racism, Asian-hate, the isolation of the pandemic, identity, trauma, and more, and it all feels like an incredible gut punch. I was incredibly impressed by how the author managed to tell an entertaining horror story while also maintaining an incredibly thoughtful approach to such difficult topics. There is also some focus on our protagonist's own mental health issues that I found just as vivid as the other topics discussed, and felt disturbingly authentic.
Bat Eater is also extremely graphic, visceral, and raw in its depictions of gore and especially our protagonist’s experience as a crime scene cleaner (as you might expect). This book is definitely not for the squeamish, and I found myself wanting to look away a few times from the mental images it created, as Baker really excels in her vivid, detailed descriptions. If you’re ready for some heavy themes, graphic descriptions of violence and gore, and a thoughtful, hard-hitting story, then Bat Eater should be next on your TBR.
**Note: I read the Illumicrate edition of this book and since I love the cover for it so much, it's the one I've posted here. The US and UK editions have alternate standard covers, and are published under different titles--Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng and Bat Eater, respectively.
Publication: June 18th, 2024
As soon as the strangers enter their home, inexplicable things start happening, including the family’s youngest child going missing and a ghostly presence materializing in the basement. Even more weird, the family can’t seem to take the hint that their visit should be over. And when Charlie suddenly vanishes, Eve slowly loses her grip on reality. Something is terribly wrong with the house and with the visiting family—or is Eve just imagining things?
This unputdownable and spine-tingling novel “is like quicksand: the further you delve into its pages, the more immobilized you become by a spiral of terror. We Used to Live Here will haunt you even after you have finished it” (Agustina Bazterrica, author of Tender Is the Flesh)"
I’ve been wanting to read this book for a really long time, and my desire to read this only continued to grow as I heard more and more people’s reviews for it saying how weird it is and polarizing and so many keywords that made me feel so strongly that I was going to love this one. And ya’ll--it was exactly what I was hoping for!
The structure of this story is on the slower side with a sort of creeping unnerving feeling that slowly permeates and then it absolutely leans a bit more into the ‘weirder’ territory rather than straightforward haunted house-like tropes, and it’s everything I love. It reminded me a bit of Benson and Moorhead films like The Endless, and I think fans of their work might be more inclined to appreciate this book as well. There’s some slow burn, some oddness, and lots of lingering unease with occasional bursts of surprise.
This isn’t really a story that’s going to hold your hand and explain everything, but honestly I never expect horror to do that, personally, so it wasn’t something that really bothered me. The ending also seems like one that could be a bit polarizing, but I personally thought it was the perfect way to end this story. If you like your horror to be a bit unexpected and every so slightly mind-bendy, then you should definitely pick this one up.
No comments:
Post a Comment