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Nest of Tongues
Not yet published
Expected 11 Aug 26A lyrical, evocative horror about vampires from the Philippines . . . and a hunter on their tail. A brother and sister fight to protect their secrets, their community, and most of all, each other, in this evocative novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Patron Saints of Nothing.
As Filipino vampires known as manananggal, Lily and her brother Caleb understand the value of a secret. After all, to hide is to survive. To lie is to live. They’d never harm another person—but people only believe their worst fears around creatures of myth. So the siblings stay quiet. They follow their community’s rules.
Until a monster hunter turns up and kills a fellow manananggal, anyway.
Until Caleb is marked as the hunter’s next prey.
Suddenly, he and Lily realize there’s always been more at stake than the lives of their people. Because when doing everything "right" is still a death sentence, what can they take as truth? As the hunter nears, the siblings must decide if they’ll be driven from the only home they’ve ever known . . . or fight to protect a community that may already be lost.
As Filipino vampires known as manananggal, Lily and her brother Caleb understand the value of a secret. After all, to hide is to survive. To lie is to live. They’d never harm another person—but people only believe their worst fears around creatures of myth. So the siblings stay quiet. They follow their community’s rules.
Until a monster hunter turns up and kills a fellow manananggal, anyway.
Until Caleb is marked as the hunter’s next prey.
Suddenly, he and Lily realize there’s always been more at stake than the lives of their people. Because when doing everything "right" is still a death sentence, what can they take as truth? As the hunter nears, the siblings must decide if they’ll be driven from the only home they’ve ever known . . . or fight to protect a community that may already be lost.
384 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication August 11, 2026
About the author
Randy Ribay
17 books1,065 followersRandy Ribay is an award-winning author of young adult fiction. His most recent novel, Patron Saints of Nothing, earned five starred reviews, was selected as a Freeman Book Award winner, and was a finalist for the National Book Award, LA Times Book Prize, Walden Book Award, Edgar Award, International Thriller Writers Award, and the CILIP Carnegie Medal. His other works include Project Kawayan, After the Shot Drops, and An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes. His next novels, The Chronicles of the Avatar: The Reckoning of Roku (Abrams) and Everything We Never Had, (Kokila/Penguin) will be out in 2024.
Born in the Philippines and raised in the Midwest, Randy earned his BA in English Literature from the University of Colorado at Boulder and his Ed.M. in Language and Literacy from Harvard Graduate School of Education. He currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, son, and cat-like dog.
Born in the Philippines and raised in the Midwest, Randy earned his BA in English Literature from the University of Colorado at Boulder and his Ed.M. in Language and Literacy from Harvard Graduate School of Education. He currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, son, and cat-like dog.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
2026
April 14, 2026ANHPI TBR
Halloween TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers
Halloween TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
On a whole, I'm glad I didn't DNF this book 15% in no matter how much I wanted to. It did get better throughout and at the end of the day it was more enjoyable than frustrating which I suppose is the balance I'd rather it strike.
To start with the positive, I really am a sucker for sibling dynamics that aren't perfect but they're both doing what they think is best. Even better when what they think is best isn't what the other person wants and it leads to conflict. Sign me up keep me signed up because I will always be there for that.
The worldbuilding also was super cool and I loved the inclusions of Filipino culture and various aspects of folklore. I think all of the implementation was really clever and compelling and it's the type of thing that only leaves me wanting to know more. I'd love if everything was explored just a little more in depth because the idea of implications are there and I'd love to see the author flesh them out.
Now for the thing that almost made me quit reading several times over: the dialogue. I could not get behind the way any of the characters talked. In trying to be hip and with it it became insufferable from all sides. I can excuse Lily and Caleb to an extent because yeah they're teenagers in a YA book there's an element to it that can't be avoided but! When their grandmother and every other character talks the same as the narration which is to say obnoxiously, it can be a bit difficult! As the plot picked up it became more bearable but it was regularly infuriating.
To start with the positive, I really am a sucker for sibling dynamics that aren't perfect but they're both doing what they think is best. Even better when what they think is best isn't what the other person wants and it leads to conflict. Sign me up keep me signed up because I will always be there for that.
The worldbuilding also was super cool and I loved the inclusions of Filipino culture and various aspects of folklore. I think all of the implementation was really clever and compelling and it's the type of thing that only leaves me wanting to know more. I'd love if everything was explored just a little more in depth because the idea of implications are there and I'd love to see the author flesh them out.
Now for the thing that almost made me quit reading several times over: the dialogue. I could not get behind the way any of the characters talked. In trying to be hip and with it it became insufferable from all sides. I can excuse Lily and Caleb to an extent because yeah they're teenagers in a YA book there's an element to it that can't be avoided but! When their grandmother and every other character talks the same as the narration which is to say obnoxiously, it can be a bit difficult! As the plot picked up it became more bearable but it was regularly infuriating.
May 10, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley & Random House Children's Books for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.
It was great to read more on Filipino myths and monsters--the Manananggal were absolutely fascinating protagonists. I liked how their "rules" worked, and it was just cool to see them in action. They're basically vampires, but it's a lot more unique than traditional American/European vampires.
The twins were pretty fun protagonists, but I feel like I had a hard time figuring out which POV I was reading halfway through a chapter because they genuinely sounded the same at times.
I liked the drama with their grandmother and mother, it was pretty compelling and dramatic. I feel like the story was a typical fast-paced YA book but I feel like it could have gone a little bit slower and help flesh out Lily & Caleb more. I do appreciate that we didn't spend too much time at boring human school though, ha.
I know this is weird, but I feel like the title is NOT at all fitting for the story. It just sounds weird. Where's the nest in this story? There isn't one. Maybe it's meant to be a nest of "lies"? I don't know, I just feel like it was very unsuited for this story. I could see why they didn't want to include the word "Manananggal" in the title since it's long and unfamiliar, but maybe something like "Half-Vampire" in the title could have gotten more attention. I'm not a book title expert but I just really didn't like this book's title, the cover and story is what caught me.
It was great to read more on Filipino myths and monsters--the Manananggal were absolutely fascinating protagonists. I liked how their "rules" worked, and it was just cool to see them in action. They're basically vampires, but it's a lot more unique than traditional American/European vampires.
The twins were pretty fun protagonists, but I feel like I had a hard time figuring out which POV I was reading halfway through a chapter because they genuinely sounded the same at times.
I liked the drama with their grandmother and mother, it was pretty compelling and dramatic. I feel like the story was a typical fast-paced YA book but I feel like it could have gone a little bit slower and help flesh out Lily & Caleb more. I do appreciate that we didn't spend too much time at boring human school though, ha.
I know this is weird, but I feel like the title is NOT at all fitting for the story. It just sounds weird. Where's the nest in this story? There isn't one. Maybe it's meant to be a nest of "lies"? I don't know, I just feel like it was very unsuited for this story. I could see why they didn't want to include the word "Manananggal" in the title since it's long and unfamiliar, but maybe something like "Half-Vampire" in the title could have gotten more attention. I'm not a book title expert but I just really didn't like this book's title, the cover and story is what caught me.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I am always excited to read any book that Randy Ribay publishes, so I was excited to get a copy of Nest of Tongues, a horror/fantasy featuring manananggal, Filipino vampires. The story follows Lily and her brother Caleb, who are two such manananggal but also normal high school students who live with their grandmother because their mom is out doing academic research. Lily and Caleb are trying to live normal teenage lives with friends and dating but also go out and sustain themselves in their other forms. When Caleb is marked as prey by a monster hunter, their lives and everything they know gets turned on end. Again, as in all of his books, Ribay still takes time and care to educate his readers who may be unfamiliar with the history of the Phillipines and, in addition in the case of this book, manananggal, as well as other topics in American history. The story in this one is engaging and informative albeit a little uneven in action to start, but culminates in an exciting ending that challenges the characters to consider what they believe in versus what they have been told. Overall, though, teens will be interested, and this is a good purchase for school libraries. Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you Random House Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for this ARC.
Wow wow wow. As a Fil-Am, I didn’t know I was starved for nuanced stories with folklore and mythology from the motherland. In “Nest of Tongues”, Ribay effortlessly weaves modern day stakes (teenage angst, family responsibility, parental love, identity) with old world myths.
Lily and Caleb’s sibling relationship is incredibly endearing and it doesn’t take long to start rooting for the “monsters”. The way Ribay touches on themes of power, hope and storytelling will keep you thinking about the parallel’s to our own world long after you’ve finished the book.
Lastly, it’s totally spooky. In a good way.
Wow wow wow. As a Fil-Am, I didn’t know I was starved for nuanced stories with folklore and mythology from the motherland. In “Nest of Tongues”, Ribay effortlessly weaves modern day stakes (teenage angst, family responsibility, parental love, identity) with old world myths.
Lily and Caleb’s sibling relationship is incredibly endearing and it doesn’t take long to start rooting for the “monsters”. The way Ribay touches on themes of power, hope and storytelling will keep you thinking about the parallel’s to our own world long after you’ve finished the book.
Lastly, it’s totally spooky. In a good way.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Nest of Tongues was a completely different experience of a vampire novel. Learning about the Filipino vampire legends called manananggal was interesting and very different than what is most popular in media. The book centered around the relationship between Lily and her brother Caleb and how they navigate being both human and vampire and how they deal will being under attack from a secret society.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for this Arc in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for this Arc in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
4.5
Loved all the Philippine folklore & mythology. I learned so much. I had to keep looking up terms and language, but I loved it! Creepy but very sassy characters, Lily was my favorite. I think teens are going to love this one. Highly recommend!
Loved all the Philippine folklore & mythology. I learned so much. I had to keep looking up terms and language, but I loved it! Creepy but very sassy characters, Lily was my favorite. I think teens are going to love this one. Highly recommend!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews