I am typically a huge fan of Shea Ernshaw, both YA and adult work, but I really struggled with this one. I thought that many sections were spending too much time on basic details and trying to prove it was part of the story. For example, there was so much emphasis on rag doll parts of Sally, over and over, within the first chapter. I struggled to connect with Sally as well. It just wasn't for me.

Sometimes the original story just needs to be left alone, being a huge fan of NBC the story just fell flat for me.

A great sequel to The Nightmare before Christmas, but with the focus mainly on Sally and her adventure of taking on the role of Pumpkin Queen, whose first real mission is to save her town from destruction and find out who she really is.

This would be a good read for middle-grade readers or hesitant readers with an interest in more macabre things. Not for more mature teens and not very enjoyable for an adult reader.

This is a very interesting book with a great concept. Written with great detail that pulls the reader in with very vivid images. Starts off almost exactly at Burton’s movie, but then begins to grab you with some interesting and fun twists to the already classic story.

This is a fun quick read for not only YA readers, but any one in for a quick one or two NIGHT read.

What happens after Jack and Sally’s happily ever after in the movie Nightmare Before Christmas? Well here it is. Jack and Sally are freshly married, and Sally has been crowned the Pumpkin Queen... except she begins doubting herself and her place in Halloween Town. The pressure of being a queen, the anxiety of everyone watching her, and the fact that all she wants is to have some alone time with her husband all come crumbling down. Sally begins to question if she was meant to be Pumpkin Queen, if she can live under all this pressure, and the words of Dr. Finkelstein still haunt her, that she’s worthless, nothing more than a doll, and that she’ll never be good enough. Despite being freed from his captivity, she is still trapped. When Sally and Zero accidentally uncover a hidden doorway to the ancient realm called Dream Town... Sally accidentally unleashes the Sandman onto all the other realms and soon everyone but Sally is asleep. She can only turn to Dream Town to find the answer and to find out a way to undo everything she’s did. But in Dream Town she discovers more family secrets and that she might have to pick between her new life with Jack and a potential home in Dream Town. This was a very sweet and great continuation of the story of Jack and Sally and really fleshes out Sally as a character. This is the perfect read for fans of Nightmare Before Christmas! Jack and Sally are so sweet, and getting to know more about Sally was wonderful!

*Thanks Netgalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide, Disney Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This book follows the adventures of Sally after the events of the film conclude. Rarely do books adapting film characters have such a strong grasp on their narrator’s voice. Sally was just as loving and lovable as ever. I could here her voice in my head as every choice she made felt true to her beloved character. The book is a lovely continuation for fans of the film.

My review of Long Live the Pumpkin Queen will be publicly available on my blog (giareadsbooks.com) on June 28th, 2022.

Genre: YA Fantasy/Retellings
Rating: 4 Stars
Spice Rating: 0 Stars*
*No trigger warnings to note

Thank you to Disney Press, Shea Ernshaw, and NetGalley for sending me a copy of Long Live the Pumpkin Queen in exchange for an honest review.


Review:

Struggling as the newly crowned Pumpkin Queen of Halloween Town, Sally wants nothing more than to run away with Jack and celebrate their marriage away from their home. But when Sally stumbles upon a new door in the grove of door-portal trees, she accidentally unleashes a terrible dream monster on the town. Sally must face her past, her present, and the unknown future to save Halloween Town. In a tale of self-love, adventure, and belonging, Ernshaw paints the beloved character Sally in a new and refreshing light.

I flew through this book in one afternoon and loved every minute of it. Sally is one of my ultimate favorite Disney characters, so when I was given the opportunity to read and review an ARC retelling of The Nightmare Before Christmas, I jumped right on it. I’d never read Ernshaw before, but from what I gathered in Long Live the Pumpkin Queen, her writing style flows beautifully. It was the perfect mix of descriptive and informative, easily holding my interest, but moving at a solid and steady pace. I’ve always wanted to know what happened after my favorite Disney movies ended (looking at you Jon Cozart), and this was exactly what I’ve been looking for.

I really love that Disney/Ernshaw decided to put Sally at the forefront of this story. While the source material is a classic and will always be a favorite of mine, I always felt like Sally could’ve used more character development (and therapy, probably). This book dove deep into Sally’s insecurities, not only as Pumpkin Queen, but also as a person who never really “fit in” with the people around her. Ernshaw could’ve brushed over Sally’s trauma and moved on, but instead, we got to experience Sally working through the highs and lows of it.

The only thing I disliked about this book was the lack of character development for its secondary characters. I can’t get too descriptive without spoiling, but I felt like a lot of character arcs were rushed or completely skipped to move the story forward. It’s Sally’s book, so building character development for secondary characters is not the main priority, but the story didn’t feel “whole”, in my opinion. This book was 320 pages, but it definitely could’ve been longer without distracting from Sally’s story.

It seems like Disney Press have chosen solid authors for their “retelling renaissance” YA novels (re: my Bravely review). I thoroughly enjoyed Long Live the Pumpkin Queen and will be checking out Ernshaw’s novels asap.

This book was fun, but got rather corny and rushed at the end. I really enjoyed getting to explore Sally as a whole character without Jack though, and seeing more than just the original copse of trees from the movie

I didn’t know I wanted a sequel to The Nightmare Before Christmas but I’m glad I got it! This picks up shortly after the events of the films, opening with Jack and Sally’s wedding. Sally, now The Pumpkin Queen, faces uncertainty in her new role and lacks confidence in herself and her ability to be both Jack’s wife and Halloween Town’s queen. Through various events and mysteries, Sally begins a quest to learn about herself and her abilities and to save Halloween Town. This was very fun and it felt so nice to be back with these characters!

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Long Live the Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw takes place after the movie, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. The book opens with the wedding of Sally and Jack Skellington and follows Sally’s journey as she adjusts to her new role as the Pumpkin Queen. Sally struggles with the expectations the residents of Halloween Town place on her and she begins to question whether a rag doll can really be a queen. In a desperate moment to escape the pressure, Sally runs to the woods and accidently unleashes a nightmare not only on Halloween Town, but the other Holiday Towns and the rest of the world. Now it is up to Sally to make things right, and in the process, discover who she is and what it means to be a queen. Fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas will enjoy learning more about Sally and the other Holiday Towns, although readers may not find it as darkly atmospheric as the movie. I would have liked to see Sally and Jack’s relationship developed a bit more, as well as more frightening interactions with the other Halloween Town monsters. Although this visit to Halloween Town won’t make you scream, it still is a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The story follows Sally after her marriage to Jack. After their one night honeymoon the Valentine Town, Sally has difficulty reconciling her role as Jack’s wife and her role as the Pumpkin Queen. She loves Jack with all her heart, but does not believe she has what it takes to be a Queen, especially after having met the Queen of Valentine Town. After being poked and prodded, she runs off trailed by Zero - yes, our favorite pup is back - and stumbles upon an old door hidden by briars and brambles. She opens the door, but in her haste to catch Zero (who has run off with her arm), forgets to close it. After falling asleep on Spiral Hill, she awakens to all of Halloween town asleep and then cannot be awoken. She visits the other towns for help, only to discover that they are all in the same state - how did they get this way? Read the story to find out who put everyone to sleep and how Sally comes through in the end. Throughout her quest, she learns some truths about where she came from (no spoilers here) and how she can be a queen while staying true to who she is.
This story is about love and personal growth and discovery. It will be enjoyed by fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas, may even make some new ones.
At times, the story moves a little slowly, but I find this is often the case in a fairytale type story. However, the mystery of how Sally was going to get out of this mess keeps the reader invested.
Enjoy!

A book I've dreamed about since I first watched The Nightmare Before Christmas movie and it didn't disappoint. The extra worldbuilding and lore built right off the scaffolds of the film without feeling like fanfiction. The backstory we learn about Sally took me off guard several times and I am an excellent guesser on plot twists! With a fast pace and plain language, this book would be great for middle schoolers or adults like me wanting to dip into my childhood dreams. Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Press for an early read.

Thank you to the publisher and @NetGalley for the E-ARC copy of this book. The rating of this book is entirely of my own opinion. #NetGalley

If I was not in the middle of a Teen Reading Challenge and fully immersed in YA books, I would blame myself for not liking this book. But this book feels like a New Adult premise with a Middle Grade reading level so it was labeled YA. The pacing was so fast but with virtually nothing happening for the first half, it was almost a DNF.

It's a fun cute idea. This would be a great book for reluctant readers

I enjoyed this book. The prose was well-written, and the characters were dynamic and jumped off the page. I thought the story was interesting and the plot kept me guessing.

If you love Tim Burton's The Nightmare before Christmas then this book is for you! Shea Ernshaw dives back into Tim Burton's world to tell Sally's story.

Sally struggles to find her new role as the wife to Jack Skellington but also as the Pumpkin Queen. With an opening to a door, everything changes. Sally has to decide to step up to be the Queen or to hide in the shadows.

The beginning of this book I thought was slow, but once the door opens it seems as if the sand slipped through my fingers to finish the book as quickly as I could. It is like my childhood dream to see more of this world and I'm glad to read it. Sally has always been one of my favorite characters. It is one of those books I didn't know I needed but happy to have read it.

I would recommend this for a high school library and plan to purchase this once it becomes available.

I dnf’d this book. I think it just wasn’t for me. The characters and setting just didn’t feel right.

I love the books by Shea Ernshaw but this book was just not good.
It's a fanfic that should be on wattpad or a site like that but as a continuing tale from the nightmare before Christmas, it fell short of keeping my attention.
This was almost a Dnf, I had to force to finish.

In a sequel to the movie Nightmare Before Christmas, this novel follows Sally after she has wed Jak Skellington and is trying to find where her place is in Halloween Town. I was happy that Zero joins her on this journey.

I do wish it wasn’t in first person. That’s just me as an adult who loves Nightmare Before Christmas. I just didn’t really need the first person perspective when it came to her love for Jak. That said, I’m sure there are many fans who love first person. I also think it would be more of interest to teenage fans, which makes sense as it is a young adult book. I’ll recommend to Disney fans and fans of Tim Burton and the film and will be curious to hear from teen readers once it’s out in the wild.