Bat Eater is one of those stories that sinks its claws into you and doesn’t let go. Not while you’re reading, not even after you’ve closed the book. It’s graphic, it’s haunting, and it’s one of the most realistic horror reads I’ve picked up in a while. Kylie Lee Baker doesn’t shy away with Bat Eater from the ugliness of life and death. Set during the height of the COVID pandemic in NYC, the story is a gory plunge into grief, despair, and the ghosts that haunt us. This book will hit in ways you don’t quite expect. It’s gory and graphic. But the horror here isn’t just in the supernatural, it’s in the grief: the helplessness, the trauma of isolation etc. Baker’s writing doesn’t glamorize or soften the blows. It stares you down and tells you: this is what it was like (and still is). And still, it’s not without purpose. This book feels real. It’s honest in its portrayal of mourning, of rage, of wanting to rally against a system that leaves people behind (to die). A must-read for those who want their horror grounded in reality. With ghosts that feel a little too close for comfort. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s an important and beautifully brutal story.