Review: Astra Remade

Astra Remade by Elizabeth Lowham was one of my treasures from last weekend's Enchanted Book Faire. Although I was unfamiliar with the author, the premise sounded intriguing. The book did not let me down. It is a redemption arc for Beauty's vain sister from "Beauty and the Beast" combined with a gender-bent "Rapunzel" who lives in a magical fae realm. The book is packed with magic, imagination, and originality. It isn't so much a fairy tale retelling as it is an original fairy tale reimagining. With so many streaming series on the way about Cinderella's stepsisters, it's nice to see a story about a lesser-known fairy tale sister, one so obscure that she wasn't even included in the Disney adaptations.

Beauty's sister, Astra, is painfully jealous to the point that she is willing to make a dangerous bargain with a fairy. Despite numerous warnings, Astra asks a fairy to make her so beautiful that men will propose to her on sight. When the wish goes exactly as requested, Astra suddenly regrets it after a herd of men chases her down at a royal ball. To make matters worse, a king banishes her to the fae realm when she turns down his proposal. There, she meets Dust, a forgotten prince locked away in a tower because of a royal wish granted years earlier. Dust is a skilled carpenter who carves beautiful animals out of wood. He offers Astra an enchanted fox carving that he can manipulate to communicate with her even outside the fae realm.

The best thing about this book for me is the setting. It takes place in a world of magic that combines many fantasy elements, such as the Peace Tree, which is reminiscent of the mythical Yggdrasil, and the fae realm, where time passes differently, like in Tir Na nOg. Making the book about one of Beauty's sisters instead of Cinderella's gave it a unique twist that I haven't seen before. Although Beauty had several siblings in the original fairy tale, most versions ignore them. It was nice to see a lesser-known character get a redemption arc. It's also uncommon to gender-bend Rapunzel. The magic wood carvings made for an original touch that reminded me of Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Astra and Dust grow significantly over the course of the book. In the beginning, Astra is vain, naive, and jealous. After meeting Dust and encountering more of the fae from his realm, she learns to be selfless and clever. Dust is sheltered and out of touch with the real world. That changes when he encounters Astra and realizes there's a chance for him to return home. His casual and unrefined mannerisms seem to be the exact opposite of what Astra seeks in a wealthy, powerful husband, but after all the noblemen she could ask for fall at her feet, she realizes that someone less refined and more genuine isn't such a bad match for her after all.

Astra Remade is one of the most original fairy tale books I have read. It takes place in an imaginative setting with many beloved fantasy archetypes, including fairies and dragons. The redemption arc draws attention to a lesser-known and underappreciated character from a classic fairy tale, and Dust is a unique take on "Rapunzel." The love story is unconventional and charming. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a new take on fairy tale characters that are not often represented in other stories.