ARC Review 📖
Long Live the Pumpkin Queen
By Shea Ernshaw
Tears of joy 🥹 Sally’s story has been entrusted to a wonderful writer who brought a daring and sincere story full of adventure , surprises and nostalgia for this 90’s kid. I loved it ! I highly recommend this story as I felt the author kept a lot of the original story and added so many new and interesting elements.
A strength is the book is the sense of place given which truly immersed me as a reader into Halloweentown.

I had high hopes for this book, but they fell somewhat short. I think kids will enjoy it, but as an adult, I found myself bored and struggling to get through certain areas. The premise is fun and Sally discovering her true self is interesting, but I felt the overall story was lacking. I will still recommend this to my Disney/Nightmare loving friends.

Nightmare Before Christmas Fans will enjoy Shae Ernshaw's take on what happens after the movie credits roll.

Sally has just married Jack, thereby making her the Pumpkin Queen. Yet, this isn't want Sally wants. She hates the constant nagging, cameras flashing and advice giving. She just wants to enjoy her time with Jack, as an just married person would. Sally goes on a walk to the multiworld trees... and releases something that'll change everyone's lives.


I enjoyed reading Sally's journey through the different worlds. However; I wish the character wasn't so hard on herself and would stop fixating on her stitches/sewing marks. Ernshaw made sure each character was acknowledged and wrote believable settings.

Thank you to Disney Publishing Worldwide and NetGalley for the ARC. The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favorite movies ever so I was very happy to see more of Jack and Sally and the gang. This is from Sally’s POV and deals with her struggles as the new Queen of Halloween Town. It also gives her a new background story and introduces a new world which is really different from the movie but I thought it was a unique spin. There are some repetitive bits and some out of character moments but Sally’s character development was good in the end. The ending was a bit fluffy but 4 stars for the entertainment and nostalgia factor.

My expectations were high and this book met them all.

The writing was perfect for how I imagine those think and speak in this world, it’s fitting when compared to the movie. The background of sally was absolutely perfect and I loved the magical elements of each of the holiday towns and ancient realms.

Having most of the characters from the movie was a great touch that made me feel like this was just a sequel to the movie, the character development of sally was perfect.

Overall if you loved the nightmare before Christmas, you will love this.

A book based off the Nightmare Before Christmas is something I didn’t even know I wanted. I watch the movie every year and I love it so much! In fact, I would’ve pre-ordered this if I didn’t get the ARC. That being said, my expectations were high and it’s not that it didn’t meet them but there were just a few things that disappointed me.

Our main character is Sally and the story takes place after her and Jack get married and she becomes the Pumpkin Queen. Without giving spoilers, I thought this was a creative take on Sally’s background too. I don’t want to give a summary just because I think it’s more fun to go into it blind but I loved that the others doors were explored too.

The writing itself is so overly flowery and I don’t think it fits with the setting. I hate flowery writing and descriptions that go on for pages so that didn’t work for me. The other thing with Sally is that she is so self depricating. It does lead to her eventual growth, THANK GOD, but it was still too much. The other thing I didn’t like was that Sally’s seams and stitches are mentioned every other sentence. We get it, we know she’s a rag doll!!! Good news is that I do love Zero just as much as I love him from the movies.

I’m still glad to have read this and feel lucky that I was granted early access. Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Thank you NetGalley, Disney Press, and Shea Ernshaw for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! This is a cute, quick, and super fun read. It follows Sally after the events of The Nightmare Before Christmas after she goes on a quest to save her town. She’s been having trouble adjusting to life as the Queen and accidentally leaves a mysterious door open, which has dire consequences for the town. We get to learn more about her and where she’s come from, along with seeing more from familiar favorites. I sped through this book because it’s so charming and it was very fast-paced - in a good way! I was really invested in seeing what happened and I think fans of the movie will love this one. I highly recommend it!

This book was an absolute delight. I am super hesitant to read a YA book based on a cartoon after some of the more recent releases in the Twisted Tales series that I didn't enjoy, but Shea Ernshaw is one of my favorite authors, and she pulled it off. LONG LIVE THE PUMPKIN QUEEN is endearing, entertaining, exciting and doesn't come off as kiddy (YA is for kids, but YA shouldn't come off as kiddy to me, if that makes sense, because it's for teens), yet it still has all the charm we all know and love from THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS. In writing this book and pulling it off so well, Ernshaw proves she can write ANYTHING. I really loved seeing more sides of Sally as she must save not just Halloweentown from the Sandman, but all the realms. Sally is portrayed as an introvert which I 100% related to and Ernshaw's story really challenges her as a character, and that is really nice to see. The relationship between Sally and Jack is so sweet and I loved it just as much as I did in the movie. I was fascinated by the expansion of the different holiday and ancient realms we got to travel into, and the world-building in this book is certainly a feat to be admired. Learning more about Sally's past and seeing her character development was also a treat. This book had so many moments that made me smile and honestly it was just refreshingly adorable in every way. LONG LIVE THE PUMPKIN QUEEN is a story about a rag doll girl who must decide for herself what type of queen she truly is in order to save the realms. THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS fans will not be disappointed.

Very cool, short little book all about Sally. I’ve got to say, it started off sort of odd, and I had a hard time with all of the references to her being a rag doll (because ok, I get it, you’re filled with leaves!) but once I overlooked that, it was a neat read. We all wanted to see the other worlds, and here we get a glimpse of what’s behind each door. And Sally grew so much, which was neat to see too.

The Nightmare Before Christmas is the one Disney movie where I am ever so slightly open to a sequel. I do really love it as a standalone film, and given the original film's premise, it would be hard to create a good sequel that involves both Halloween and Christmas again. But what if we took Halloween town and had it interact with one of the other holiday doors? If you remember the opening of the film, there are doors for Thanksgiving, Valentine's, St. Patrick's, and Easter. What do any of those holiday towns look like? How does one create an entire town around St. Patrick's? This sequel novel takes that potential worldbuilding into account, and stars our loveable ragdoll Sally as she steps up to the plate as Halloween town's Pumpkin Queen.

I really liked what Ms. Ernshaw did with the other holiday towns in this novel. I'm glad I'm not the only one who wondered what all those towns could be. I also thought that the general plot was a good one as it was focused around other portal doors. It reads really fast-- I think this book may be meant for a middle grade audience? The writing is on the lighter side.

There's one part added that felt a bit too like bad fan fiction since there's absolutely no allusion to it in the original film, but I think the author pulls through in making it work the best she could to also incorporate another aspect. (Sorry to be so vague, but I don't want to spoil much).

Other things that I felt weren't so good was that Sally didn't feel like her intelligent, independent self here. In the original film, she's literally the only one with a brain to realize it's a terrible idea for Halloween monsters to take charge of Christmas. I understand here where she's now Queen she may feel a little bit like an imposter, but she really lost all confidence in herself until the end.

Overall, I think big fans of the film will enjoy this provided they don't mind a simpler story meant for a younger (10-14 year old) audience. Thank you to the publisher for providing a free eARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I received an arc from Netgalley, but all opinions are my own.
I have longed for a sequel to the Nightmare Before Christmas for years, but one never came until now. In this new book by Shea Ernshaw (The Wicked Deep, Winterwood), we follow Sally after he recent marriage to Jack Skellington and becoming the Pumpkin Queen. Feeling as if she doesn't totally belong in Halloween Town, Sally embarks on an adventure to other holiday worlds including a new one, Dream Town. She unleashes a new villian onto the fantasy worlds. Can she help save Halloween Town? Why is Dream Town not affected? Can Sally learn to become the Pumpkin Queen? Where does she belong? While there were so moments were the book didn't have the strongest writing, I very much enjoyed revisiting the characters and places of the Nightmare Before Christmas.

I honestly didn't expect much from this. When a childhood favorite gets a continuation rarely does it have the same magic but in this case it does! The writing is lyrical and spooky and the characters were captured by the author! This belongs on all shelves serving teens and would be such fun to share in October.

Thank you to Disney Publishing Worldwide for the e-ARC!

I really enjoyed reading this book. The Nightmare Before Christmas has always been one of my favourite movies, so it was a pretty easy sell, but even then it exceeded my expectations. I loved finding out more about Sally and where she came from, and the adventure that she went on was quite enjoyable to read. This book was a quick easy read which was exactly what I was in the mood for, so overall a great reading experience.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

***
I'd say this was a 3.5* for me.

I am a huge Nightmare Before Christmas fan. It is now and always has been one of my very favorite things. I really wanted to love this one, but it didn't quite work for me. I thought it was an okay read, but it just wasn't quite up my alley.

The book picks up with Jack and Sally about a year after the film events happened.

The Good:

The book contains all of the characters you know and love. There's enough peppered in to appease long-term fans.

It was nice to get a different perspective. Sally sees the world much differently than Jack. This helped to add depth to her character.

There are familiar locales and we get to see being the curtain, so to speak.

The Rest:

Something about the language just wasn't working for me. It's a little flowery and descriptive but the action is very slow.

In that same realm, the pacing was all over the place. Nothing really happens and then it feels rushed.

I didn't love Sally's constant self-loathing.

I did finish the book, but I wasn't sure I would. If you're a fan of the world, this might interest you. If you like slower fairy tale type stuff, this might work for you.

I’d recommend this for anyone who’s a fan of Nightmare Before Christmas or Tim Burton. This is an excellent sequel that spends time in the familiar (Halloween Town) but also expands out into the various other worlds hinted at in the movie. Sally is every bit as awesome as we all knew her to be! Spooky, heartfelt, and tender—a great feel-good read!

I had very high hopes for this book as I absolutely love Nightmare Before Christmas, the absolutely perfect Halloween and Christmas movie! I loved that this explored the other holiday realms, because I felt that another movie at least could have built on that. I think this is perfect for every fan of Nightmare Before Christmas!

The Boogie man has been defeated, Sandy Claws has returned home to Christmas town, and Jack Skelington and Sally got married on top of the spiral hill - lots of exciting things happening in Halloween town! When all the excitement wears down, it's time for Jack and his new Pumpkin Queen to prepare for the upcoming Holiday, but Sally is feeling very isolated and overwhelmed by all the queenly expectations suddenly placed on her. In a moment of despair, Sally runs away from her problems deep into the woods, past the Hinterlands, until she finds a long forgotten tree with a door to an ancient realm. Sally, unaware of the danger at stake and encouraged by the loyal sidekick Zero, opens the mysterious door only to release something…something that even scares the residents of Halloween town. Can the new Pumpkin Queen save her people in time or are they doomed forever?
The Nightmare Before Christmas has always been one of my favorite movies of all time and Sally has always been a princess in my eyes, so this book was already right up my alley. Because I am familiar with the tale, the characters, and the world, I was able to easily slide into the narrative. However, there isn’t much in the way of characterization for our main heroine and I can definitely see how those unfamiliar with the movie will be lost and wanting Sally to be more, idk, vocal? Explained?
The world, on the other hand, was great! I felt like what I loved about the world from the movie was preserved and I was as excited as Sally was to stumble into the other Holiday Realms. <spoiler> Dream town was such an amazing addition. I felt I could truly picture it in my head and when she discovered the governors were her parents…pfft, I teared up. </spoiler>
Shea Ernshaw is a new author to me, but I realized halfway through this ARC that I was actually listening to another book by her, A History Of Wild Places, without even knowing it! I can see the horror elements in her writing, but other than that I didn’t notice much carry over. Still, I really enjoyed both stories and will be picking up her other work in the future!
Thank you to NetGalley, Shea Ernshaw, and Disney Publishing Worldwide for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a honesty review!

Thank you, Disney Publishing Worldwide, for allowing me to read Long Live the Pumpkin Queen early!

I was very interested in reading a book from the point-of-view of Sally, but alas I didn't enjoy ad much as I thought I would. It just fell flat.

Fans of Nightmare Before Christmas will eat this up. I'm almost certain this is the only novel set in that world, and it. was a lot of fun to explore through Sallys POV

I so wish this would become a true movie sequel to The Nightmare Before Christmas. I have been wary of Disney books featuring films as the ones I have read did not do justice to the source material, but this one absolutely did. I loved every minute reading it. It surprised me with its twists! I especially dearly loved the new life breathed into the characters, particularly Sally, and it has only made me love them so much more. The relationship between her and Jack is just perfect and the way they are portrayed is everything I could have wanted when I read about them finally marrying and being together. It made my heart soar.

There was also some discreet LGBTQ+ representation in this book, which surprised me given how Disney has been about it lately--which is another reason I was hesitant to pick up an official Disney book to read. It was refreshing and also relieving to see it there, even if it was such a fleeting moment in the grander scheme of the plot. I truly appreciated it.

Should there ever be a movie based on this sequel, then I will be the first in line.