Skip to content
Reviewed by Karen Seth, Teacher, Upper Harbour Primary School, Auckland
Opening sentence
The kiss lasted just long enough for everything to go wrong.
How to Get a Date with the Evil Queen is a unique fantasy romance adventure about Sian, a young witch from Dunedin who happens to love Trillin, part of The Endless. The two are trying to find a world where they can be together without being tracked by their enemies and happen upon a world very similar to Sian’s own, but where magic works differently. They become somehow ensnared in an enchanted fairytale where everyone must play the part of an heroic prince, a princess to be rescued, or a monster to be defeated. Unfortunately for Sian, her girlfriend seems destined to be both the princess and the monster she must defeat.

The story has many unique and clever elements and builds to an exciting conclusion. The start of the book is less well structured, although I have not read the first book in this series - perhaps it leads on better from there. Also, having two female lead characters who wield magic, the author sometimes is a little unclear about which character is being referred to.

This is an entertaining story. I would not use it in a classroom as it does not deal with themes relevant to teaching purposes. It does have strong language, and, in my opinion, without a strong message this is not worth dealing with in a classroom situation.

How to Get a Date with the Evil Queen is the sequel to How to Get a Girlfriend When You’re a Terrifying Monster.
Author & Illustrator: Marie Cardno
Publisher: Paper Road Press
ISBN: 9781991196897
Format: Paperback, ebook
Publication: June 2023
Ages: 13+
Themes: Fantasy, romance, fairy tales