Long Live the Pumpkin Queen is the sequel to Tim Burton’s The Nightmare before Christmas, featuring Sally’s story. This young adult novel, written by New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw, is absolutely delightful. The book starts with a wedding, and then the trip of a lifetime to Valentine’s Town for the honeymoon. Filled with lovely imagery such as “the air smells…like black licorice and raven wings and a little like pumpkin jam,” everything is just as hauntingly memorable as the original Time Burton movie. It’s so well done, in fact, readers will fall into the setting.

Award-winning voice actor Cissy Jones does a beautiful job of bringing Sally to life. The narration is frightfully bubbly, exactly how we’d imagine Sally narrating her own book.

My only (minor) complaint is that it felt more like a middle grade novel than a young adult one, which aren't exactly my cup of tea.

First of all, thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an advanced copy of the audiobook. All opinions are my own.
This was a fun read. I thought, overall, the narrator did a great job of capturing all the voices of Halloween Town. I really liked the music between chapters. However; I think it was a little to long for the story and could have cut out several parts. Due to that fact, some parts I felt were a little boring while others were more entertaining. I think this would be a good book for middle schoolers and a book club for that particular age.. Overall 3./5 stars.

I am getting tired of these Disney retellings. I always look forward to them because I love Disney, but then can't stand the book.

I had to DNF around 50%.

I think my main issue with these beloved movies that get retold is that the main characters do not act remotely similar to how they act in their movie. In the case Sally does not act like the Sally we all know and love in The Nightmare Before Christmas. She is Whinny and talks down to herself and acts like she isn't able to do anything.

Other than the characters being out of place. The plot was boring and all over the place. I don't think I will be able to force myself to read the rest of this book.

Such a fun read. Being able to revisit this story, with a whole new story, brought me back to my childhood. The nostalgia was real and the story is so perfectly written. It is everything I wanted it to be and more, honestly and I hope for more in the future from the pumpkin queen.

Thank you to author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review this ARC with honesty.


I've always been a fan of Nightmare Before Christmas since it first came out. That being said, it's a tall order to write a story that goes along with that doesn't sound like a fanfiction. Sadly, this did feel - forced. If I were to separate it from the movie, then it was a cute story about a young rag doll finding her own place in a world that doesn't seem to have one for her. I did get entertainment from this installment. Sadly, the audio archived before i could complete it so I had to read this physically.

Overall, this was an okay story with a cute ending.

My Rating: 3 Stars 🌟🌟🌟

This was a fun expansion on the Nightmare Before Christmas story. I really enjoyed getting to know Sally better as an individual character.

If you are a die hard Nightmare before Christmas fan, you might find some enjoyment in this, but overall, it felt like fanfiction, or an epilogue to the movie. It was too slow, too quiet. I wanted to see more of the characters, but it was really just Sally. If you don't know the characters and the world, you're going to be really lost though...

This audiobook was a cute edition to the world of Halloween Town from Tim Burton's classic The Nightmare Before Christmas. I think I listened to this book at the wrong time because I just could not get into the story or really anything about it. I was not a fan of the narrator. While her voice was very similar to that of Sally from the movie, it just wasn't doing it for me. If you're a fan of the movie you'll probably love this book. I just didn't.

3.5 stars. This was a fun way to expand on the world of Nightmare Before Christmas and gave more depth to Sally as a character. I think the characters feel real, and the world exploring is a lot of fun. I think this would go over really well for Nightmare super fans

As a fan of Nightmare Before Christmas, I am happy to say that this was an enjoyable read. I chose to read due to who wrote it and I think Shea did a good job.

It’s always great to read books that set you in the mood for the season of chills and thrills yet, not even the nostalgia for A Nightmare Before Christmas could sugarcoat the plot and character development holes in this story.

Sally and Jack have married. They honeymooned in Valentine town, and now it is time to get back to work. Sally is having a hard time trying to find her way as queen. She does not know what it means to be queen, she just knows, she is overwhelmed. She runs away to find some peace for a small bit of time, thinking to maybe find some and ask for advice. But at the glen of doors, she cannot bring herself to go through any. She wanders away but finds a new door she has never seen before. It is covered with vines and leaves, and she opens it but decides to not go forward. Instead, she takes a nap. Upon returning to Halloweentown, everyone is sleeping, including Jack. There is no way to wake them. Now Sally really must be in charge and grow into her position as queen as she tries to save her love and her town.

This book was sweet. I loved it as a sequel and would love to see it get a matching movie. At first, I get a little annoyed at how Sally seems fragile when in the original move she is strong. She finds her strength and does exactly what NBC fans want and love. The new characters are a great addition to those we already know, and the direction of the book gives fans what they have been asking for, for years. I listened to this as an audiobook, and the narrator did a great job of sounding like Sally. It was a tad bit too wispy when in the car, but at home or in the office it was a pleasant listening experience and has me wanted more adventures of Sally and Jack in Halloweentown and others places as well.

I’ve never had a book inspire me to watch a movie that isn’t an adaptation of that book before, but Long Live the Pumpkin Queen has done just that! As soon as I finished, I went to seek out The Nightmare Before Christmas!
Even though I had never seen this inspiration for the book, I thought the premise of the story sounded charming so I was excited to request it.
What an adorable story! I loved the rated G romance, I loved the strong female empowerment plot line, and I loved the great narrator who transported me to these wonderful magical realms.
Admittedly, the story is a little long and drags a bit in parts, but for the most part, it’s a fun adventure about perceptions, being true to yourself, friendship, and cooperation.
The book will make a wonderful addition to my classroom library.

✨ Review ✨ Long Live the Pumpkin Queen -- Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas -- by Shea Ernshaw; Narrated by Cissy Jones

This book is billed as YA (12+), but I think also is really fitting for middle grades kids who love fantasy and horror light (I don't think it's any scarier than The Nightmare Before Christmas book). I listened to this with my 9yo, who adored this take on the story.

Sally marries Jack at the end of The Nightmare Before Christmas and this book takes up after that from Sally's perspective. She became the Pumpkin Queen but is she ready for the challenges and responsibilities this roll brings? Sally and Zero, while out wandering, discover a hidden doorway to Dream Town, an unknown ancient realm. This discovery sets off a chain of events, all of which result in Sally needing to solve the nightmare she's unleashed all alone. Can she save all of the holiday towns in the realm?

This was a fun read, exploring Sally's perspective and considering what it means to be a queen. I thought the book dragged on for perhaps a bit too long, but overall, it was an enjoyable, accessible story that carries on the Tim Burton vibe. The narrator played into the character and you could feel the Sally vibes through the narration. Another Shea Ernshaw win!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre: YA, middle grades, horror light, fantasy
Reminds me of: The Nightmare Before Christmas
Pub Date: Out now!

Read this if you like:
⭕️ Tim Burton / The Nightmare Before Christmas
⭕️ YA/middle grades fantasy
⭕️ spooky season reads
⭕️ The Sandman

Thanks to Disney Audiobooks and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!

If you’re a diehard fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas, I think you’ll enjoy this short but sweet story. It tells of Sally’s woes of becoming Pumpkin Queen and the fact she doesn’t know how to be a Queen.

This story focuses a lot on her inner turmoil in becoming Queen and her uncertainty in how to be a good Queen for the town. We start off with Jack and Sally going to Valentines Town for their honeymoon and I thought it was great we got to see another holiday town! It was very cute and made me wish I could visit it myself.

After they return to Halloween Town, Sally wonders off by herself and discovers a long-hidden doorway in the forest which isn’t a holiday she recognizes. Opening this door causes mayhem in Halloween Town and Sally has to figure out how to fix this problem. (I think it’s pretty predictable, but I won’t ruin the surprise for you!)

While this story is cute, I honestly can’t really say that I enjoyed it. I’m not a diehard Nightmare Before Christmas fan – I enjoyed it, but I can’t tell you the last time I watched it. Sally was complaining and moping for the majority of the book and that just didn’t vibe with me. There are also elements in this story I don’t know if i would consider canon and goes against everything the movie tells us. This feels like fun fanfiction, but that’s about it.

The writing also feels like young middle grade – which, seeing as this is a Disney story, is understandable! But it’s marketed as young adult which it is not, in my opinion. The writing itself is fine, nothing against the author, but I feel like I would have enjoyed this more as a graphic novel rather than words on a page. This story about Sally didn’t feel like it needed to be a novel.

Honestly, I would skip over this one – you aren’t missing much and even though it was a quick read, I wished I DNF-ed it around the 30% mark – thats when I was already getting bored – but I pushed through because it was such a quick read.

First, I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book. I am leaving this honest review of my own will.

Huge nightmare before Christmas fan here. I loved that this book was about our beloved queen! I think the author did well.

Before a review of the text, I have to say how good of a narrator this title had! She absolutely captured the voice and essence of our beloved Pumpkin Queen. As for the contents, this is one of my favorite movie/media tie-in books now! I've long been a fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas, and expanding that universe while giving the perspective of Sally is fun and refreshing. Overall a great read for multiple age groups.

Perhaps I'm in the minority, but I've never wanted a sequel to Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. I adore the 1993 classic, and in my opinion, it's a one-and-done film with a beginning, middle, and end. A sequel is unnecessary. Nonetheless, a novelized sequel from Sally's point of view piqued my interest enough to make me want to read Long Live the Pumpkin Queen. Because I couldn't get my hands on a printed copy, I settled for the audiobook narrated by Cissy Jones.

Even though I wouldn't classify Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas as a franchise, it is an important intellectual property for the Mickey Mouse company. Unfortunately, it was determined that rewriting Sally's backstory would be a fantastic idea by the author, Disney Press, or someone in a higher position at Disney. She is no longer a Frankenstein creature that Dr. Finkelstein stitched together. Instead, when Sally was a young child, Dr. Finkelstein abducted her from Dream Town. Sally does have parents, whom she meets in this follow-up.

Sally's persona alludes to the Bride of Frankenstein. She is nothing more than that, and changing her past for the sake of being "woke" is inappropriate. I didn't like the change and was disappointed with how things turned out.

Although "Long Live the Pumpkin Queen" has an engaging story overall, the flowery language takes away from the story and makes it uninteresting. When you consider the needless changes made to Sally's past, this novel is a complete mess from beginning to end. The amusing narration by Cissy Jones was the only thing I enjoyed, which is why I'm giving it a better rating than it merits. Cissy did an excellent job as Sally, but she is no Catherine O'Hara. -- ★★★✰✰

Sally and Jack just got married and are on their way to Valentine's Town for their honeymoon. Sally has never left Halloweentown before and she is nervous. She is also very self-conscious of what the Halloweentown citizens think of her as their new Pumpkin Queen. Sally is afraid that she cannot live up to their expectations. Sally and Jack enjoy their time on their honeymoon and are pleasantly surprised by the differences between their home and Valentine's Town. Upon their return home the mayor and some others are ready to get started in planning Halloween and have a new outfit to plan for their new Pumpkin Queen. Sally becomes overwhelmed and runs away. Deeper in the forest of the grove of holiday trees Sally finds another tree with a half moon on it. She pulls it open and falls asleep. When she wakes she discovers that everyone in Halloweentown and every other holiday town are also asleep, The culprit is the Sandman from inside the tree that she opened which belongs to Dreamworld.
This was a really interesting sequel to The Nightmare Before Christmas. Some of the descriptions didn't make a lot of sense by trying to make them fit with the characters. Like how Sally's a rag doll and how her body reacts to certain emotions. Sometimes books like these tend to read like fanfiction and to me it felt like a real entry to continue the story and I could imagine it on screen. The ending tied up a bit too perfectly but it's not a big deal since the audience it's intended for will probably appreciate it.

As a lifelong fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas, I knew I was going to enjoy this book going into it.

Long Live the Pumpkin Queen was a joy to read through. I loved tagging along with Sally’s story as she further explored her role as the Queen of Halloween. The voice felt strong in this one! Sometimes I feel books based on movies do a stronger job in world building but miss a bit when it comes to voice; this book definitely didn’t have that issue. The storyline was strong, and it was really enjoyable. Highly recommend for fans of the movie!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.