J.M. McDermott's Never Knew Another is a fantasy novel about two people, Jona Lord Joni and Rachel Nolander, who are both demon children of the Nameless who must hide their true nature from fear of being put to death. Set in a medieval type world, their story is told in a very interesting way - through the eyes of the people that are hunting Rachel and other demon children. It is explained from chapter one that Jona is dead (or so it seems, I'm hoping somewhere there is a loophole in the second book!) and what you're reading are his memories.

Delivering a story this way may seem confusing but McDermott is adept at telling stories in an unexpected way. The way it progresses, you almost forget that what is happening is from the past. Even Rachel's memories are siphoned from what Jona knew of her. The switch from memory to present is fluid.

I wanted to like Jona but found it hard. He is rather arrogant, even though he is supposed to be hiding his demon blood. He would do anything to protect himself, it's really no wonder he is so lonely. A lot of time is spent in the beginning explaining how damaging demon blood is that Rachel's introduction brings a softer tone. Her life has been completely different from Jona's. Her physical appearance is more affected by her blood so she has to be more careful. She has been on the run with her brother for a very long time and has never known comfort.

The synopsis says that Never Knew Another is the story of how Jona and Rachel met but mostly tells back story on Jona. What it accomplishes is showing how much he wants a person to love and one that can love him back without hurting her (because humans can get sick from exposure to demon blood or saliva). There are glimpses into Jona and Rachel's life together so the synopsis may seem misleading but it is the first in a trilogy. Knowing what I know of McDermott, I'd wager the next two books will show more of their time together and will be as magnificent as this one. ( )

Well, it sounded very promising but unfortunately is the sort of stream of consciousness that falls in the verbal diarrhea category. Ok, fine, you want to write a book with shifting points of view that results from minds melding. Ok, it's supposed to be about memory, and sifting through another's memory to find clues. All of those are really interesting things, and the world is an interesting world and yet. I kept wondering when the story would start. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen -- shapechangers! politics! demons! religion! plague! steampunky weirdness! -- seriously, all of that and.... amazingly boring story presented in an incredibly irritating manner. *sigh* I'm sorry. I really wanted to like your book. ( )

Never Knew Another is a haunting little gem of a book, the kind that lingers in your head long after you’ve turned the last page. It reminded me of Gene Wolfe’s novels: while reading, I had that same sense of deep truths hidden between interlocking tales, where words left unspoken hold equal weight to those on the page. The framing story for the novel follows a married pair of shapechanging hunters, whose sacred mission is to seek out and kill the halfbreed children of demons, and cleanse the tainted ground the demon children leave behind. This taint is quite real: the very touch of these halfbreed children can sicken ordinary humans, even kill them. And yet, as one of the hunters experiences the memories of a slain demon child in order to track down more, we learn the halfbreeds are human as the rest of us: afraid, alone, desperate to survive, capable of both cruelty and compassion. In some ways, the hunters are far more Other than the demon children. They view the world with the cool practicality of the wolves whose form they can take, and share a wolf’s disdain for weakness; but they, too, are capable of tenderness and love. All told, the novel is a beautifully written exploration of what it means to be an outcast. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a dark, literary fantasy that’s wonderfully different from most others on the shelf. ( )