Nest of Tongues | YA Spotlight

I have been a Randy Ribay fan for years, so Nest of Tongues immediately caught my attention. Ribay is the author of several acclaimed novels, including Everything We Never Had and one of my favorites, Patron Saints of Nothing. This time, Ribay ventures into paranormal horror—and I am absolutely here for this new direction.

With Filipino folklore, vampirelike creatures, a supernatural monster hunter, a murder mystery, and a fantastic sibling relationship at its center, Nest of Tongues is a fast-paced YA horror novel that earned starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly.

Filipino Folklore Meets Modern-Day California

Lily and Caleb Abadiano look like ordinary Filipino American teenagers living in San Salvador, a fictional town in California’s San Francisco Bay Area. But Lily and Caleb are manananggals, supernatural creatures from Filipino folklore.

During the day, they pass as human. At night, they can separate their upper bodies from their lower halves, sprout wings, and take to the skies in search of blood. Their grandmother has always warned them to keep a low profile, and it turns out she has a very good reason.

Someone is killing Ta’Li, the broader community of supernatural beings living secretly among humans. The killer appears to be the Bayani, a legendary monster hunter whom Caleb has feared since childhood.

Then Caleb is marked as the Bayani’s next victim.

Rather than wait for the hunter to find them, Lily and Caleb decide to find him first.

A Little Bit of Grimm—But the “Monsters” Are the Heroes

One of the things I love most about this premise is that it reminds me of the TV show Grimm. In Grimm, supernatural folklore creatures live right alongside humans, who generally have no idea they exist. Some of those creatures are dangerous—but plenty of them aren’t.

In fact, some of my favorite Grimm episodes are the ones where the folklore creatures are themselves victims of crime rather than the perpetrators.

Nest of Tongues has that same appeal for me. Lily and Caleb are the creatures humans might traditionally call “monsters,” but they are our protagonists. They aren’t hunting innocent people or inviting trouble. They are teenagers trying to live their lives while hiding a part of themselves that could make them targets.

And now someone is hunting them.

That inversion gives the familiar monster-hunter story a fascinating twist. Who exactly is the monster when the supposed “monster” is the one being hunted?

Lily and Caleb Make This Story Work

The story alternates between Lily’s and Caleb’s first-person perspectives, and their very different personalities add another layer to the novel.

Lily is fiery, bold, and completely comfortable with being a manananggal. She loves flying and hunting and embraces the supernatural part of herself. Caleb is quieter and more cautious. He would rather play video games and draw superhero comics, and he struggles with his manananggal identity.

Their differences could easily pull them apart, but the danger forces both siblings to grow. Lily wrestles with her instinct to protect her younger brother at all costs, while Caleb must confront his fears and insecurities. Their banter, disagreements, loyalty, and affection make their relationship feel authentic, even when the circumstances are anything but ordinary.

Ribay also weaves Filipino culture, history, and mythology throughout the story rather than simply using the manananggal as a cool horror creature. Readers unfamiliar with Filipino folklore will get an accessible introduction without slowing down the thriller pacing.

A Strong Pick for YA Horror and Paranormal Readers

At 370 pages, Nest of Tongues combines horror, mystery, mythology, family secrets, action, and plenty of supernatural danger. The reviews consistently praise its pacing and character development, and the three starred reviews are definitely worth noting.

A Nest of Tongues is a great choice for readers who enjoy paranormal horror, supernatural mysteries, folklore retellings, sibling stories, Filipino mythology, monster hunters, secret supernatural communities, and books where the line between “monster” and “human” isn’t nearly as simple as it first appears.

As of today (August 2026), Grimm is still streaming on Amazon Prime, so some students may be familiar with the series. For those who have seen it, the idea of supernatural creatures quietly living among unsuspecting humans—and becoming the victims rather than the villains—may feel wonderfully familiar.

Nest of Tongues by Randy Ribay was published August 11, 2026, by Random House and is recommended for Grades 9 and up.

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