From Stars They Fell

4.5 stars. This is a strange and delightful version of Snow White, which I wasn't expecting at all. Veni, an alien from a genderless species that has similarities with both insects and humans, crashes on a medieval fantasy world - the planet is referred to as Earth, but there was magic, as well as dwarves and a dark elf, so it wasn't really our Earth.

There, Veni meets a handsome man, Wystan, who is deaf and communicates in sign language. Their bond is based on mutual attraction, but also on the fact that Veni can communicate with Wystan without the need for an interpreter. So the romance was believable, although it was a little underdeveloped. There was room for more development of just about everything in this story, but I can't object, due to its fairy-tale feel.

There's a good amount of fish-out-of-water type stuff here, as Veni becomes accustomed to the new planet, but that concept was never really played for laughs, which I found unusual and refreshing. I also especially liked the clever ideas about alien language. Overall, this is a sweet, short read. I would definitely be interested in reading more works set in this world - I'd love to read Calder's story someday.