Long Live the Pumpkin Queen: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas
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- Create Date：2022-08-04 07:19:39
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Shea Ernshaw
- ISBN：B09GBQVNBW
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Summary
Jack and Sally are "truly meant to be" 。。。 or are they？
Sally Skellington is the official， newly-minted Pumpkin Queen after a whirlwind courtship with her true love， Jack， who Sally adores with every inch of her fabric seams -- if only she could say the same for her new role as Queen of Halloween Town。 Cast into the spotlight and tasked with all sorts of queenly duties， Sally can't help but wonder if all she's done is trade her captivity under Dr。 FInkelstein for a different -- albeit gilded -- cage。 But when Sally and Zero accidentally uncover a long-hidden doorway to an ancient realm called Dream Town in the forest Hinterlands， she'll unknowingly set into motion a chain of sinister events that put her future as Pumpkin Queen， and the future of Halloween Town itself， into jeopardy。 Can Sally discover what it means to be true to herself and save the town she's learned to call home， or will her future turn into her worst。。。 well， nightmare
Sally Skellington is the official， newly-minted Pumpkin Queen after a whirlwind courtship with her true love， Jack， who Sally adores with every inch of her fabric seams -- if only she could say the same for her new role as Queen of Halloween Town。 Cast into the spotlight and tasked with all sorts of queenly duties， Sally can't help but wonder if all she's done is trade her captivity under Dr。 FInkelstein for a different -- albeit gilded -- cage。 But when Sally and Zero accidentally uncover a long-hidden doorway to an ancient realm called Dream Town in the forest Hinterlands， she'll unknowingly set into motion a chain of sinister events that put her future as Pumpkin Queen， and the future of Halloween Town itself， into jeopardy。 Can Sally discover what it means to be true to herself and save the town she's learned to call home， or will her future turn into her worst。。。 well， nightmare
Reviews
Crystle Dougherty
，
This was a FANTASTIC follow up to the original story！！ I absolutely LOVED it so much and I honestly wish this one would become a movie as well。 I believe it would be so GREAT！！！！ Well done 👍
mallory Rodgers
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great edition to the story！！！Loved it！ Binge read the whole thing because I could not put it down！！ Can’t wait for the next adventures！！
Alicia
，
This is where I put my confession？ I never watched The Nightmare Before Christmas， but when I saw this book， I decided it was time。 So I did what any good librarian would do- I read the picture book， the manga， watched the movie， and then settled in to read this book。 While the same holds true for the movie as others that I didn't watch as a child to earn my badge， I can get behind why it's a cult classic and why its beloved， however I will not be one of those people because I didn't watch it wh This is where I put my confession？ I never watched The Nightmare Before Christmas， but when I saw this book， I decided it was time。 So I did what any good librarian would do- I read the picture book， the manga， watched the movie， and then settled in to read this book。 While the same holds true for the movie as others that I didn't watch as a child to earn my badge， I can get behind why it's a cult classic and why its beloved， however I will not be one of those people because I didn't watch it when I needed to developmentally。 However， I can tell you that in one week's time I picked up on the vibe of Burton's work and inspirations for the other bookish treats that reading Ernshaw's book is delightfully on point。 The overwhelming whimsy of Halloween Town as well as the other towns through the tree portals are as present as the characters in each of them and certainly the characterization of Sally Skellington， now the Pumpkin Queen after marrying Jack。 It's a delightful read especially coming up on fall， but I like the inclusion of her backstory as part of the conflict of this story。 It had all of the trappings of the original inspiration。 。。。more
Alisha Carderella
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3。25 starsSally Skellington is the new Pumpkin Queen working alongside her new love Jack。 Only Sally doesn’t feel comfortable being thrust into this new role， and begins to doubt everything。 When Halloween Town is in peril will Sally be strong enough to rise to the occasion， or will she turn her back on all she’s come to love？OMG ya’ll this little book was so cute。 It felt like Ernshaw dove into my head to give me all of the things I’ve always wished to see beyond Halloween Town。 I loved the oth 3。25 starsSally Skellington is the new Pumpkin Queen working alongside her new love Jack。 Only Sally doesn’t feel comfortable being thrust into this new role， and begins to doubt everything。 When Halloween Town is in peril will Sally be strong enough to rise to the occasion， or will she turn her back on all she’s come to love？OMG ya’ll this little book was so cute。 It felt like Ernshaw dove into my head to give me all of the things I’ve always wished to see beyond Halloween Town。 I loved the other places we got to visit！！ Her writing is so beautiful and atmospheric， I felt like I was right there with Sally。 I will say Sally’s negativity and self-deprecation was really drawn out for me， however it does pay off at the end。 This story wasn’t one that will stay will me forever， but I think it was a fun little glimpse into Sally’s backstory。 I definitely would not be mad if Disney made this into a little short movie （with songs of course）。 *Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review。 。。。more
Skylar
，
10000/5 starsWow！！ Of course I had to read this since Nightmare Before Christmas is my favorite movie。。 So my expectations were high and they were exceeded！ It feels like a second movie， I loved it。 Very well written。
Kristen Nawn
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I was really excited/nervous for a book in the Nightmare Before Christmas realm because it is one of my favorite films。 Unfortunately， this book didn't do it for me in terms of lining up with my feelings on the movie。The plot itself was fine and moved at a good pace。 The book reads like a middle grade novel， which is great for younger readers who enjoy the movie and are looking for something engaging。 I did find the descriptions to be over the top and excessive， so some sections felt like all de I was really excited/nervous for a book in the Nightmare Before Christmas realm because it is one of my favorite films。 Unfortunately， this book didn't do it for me in terms of lining up with my feelings on the movie。The plot itself was fine and moved at a good pace。 The book reads like a middle grade novel， which is great for younger readers who enjoy the movie and are looking for something engaging。 I did find the descriptions to be over the top and excessive， so some sections felt like all descriptions and no actual plot。 But overall， it had a good beginning， middle， and end。 As a super fan of the movie， I took issues with the characters and storyline。 Sally was portrayed as meek and nervous， where as in the movie she was drugging Dr。 Finkelstein to escape， was the only character with any common sense about how bad of an idea it was to steal Christmas， and ventured into Oogie Boogie's dungeon alone to save Sandy Claws。 The personality differences between these two Sally's just didn't match up。There was also a continuity error in the beginning when Sally is talking to Ruby Valentine。 Jack tells Ruby that he doesn't know who Shakespeare is， but in the movie Jack sings， "and since I am dead I can take off my head to recite Shakespearean quotation" in the song， Jack's Lament。 So， he does know Shakespeare。 Finally， I did not like Sally's backstory。 I felt like it was a weird and unnecessary choice to go that direction。 Overall， I would recommend this book to tweens/teens who like the movie， but I would warn super fans （like myself） that it may not be for them。 。。。more
Chris Lemmerman
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I really， really wanted to like this more than I did， because I'm such a massive Nightmare fan， but it's just。。。not what I wanted it to be。 Maybe that's on me， I don't know。I'll go with what I liked first。 The idea of the Ancient Realms is right in line with the idea of the Holiday Worlds， and the small snippets of Jack and Sally together we get at the beginning and end of the book are wonderful。 I liked the inclusion of all the Halloween Town residents， especially ones we don't usually get to s I really， really wanted to like this more than I did， because I'm such a massive Nightmare fan， but it's just。。。not what I wanted it to be。 Maybe that's on me， I don't know。I'll go with what I liked first。 The idea of the Ancient Realms is right in line with the idea of the Holiday Worlds， and the small snippets of Jack and Sally together we get at the beginning and end of the book are wonderful。 I liked the inclusion of all the Halloween Town residents， especially ones we don't usually get to see， and I like that we didn't just rely on Oogie Boogie to come back again。 I did enjoy the descriptions， which make sure that we never forget that Sally is a rag doll and so she can describe things in some interesting ways， but that did veer into repetitive territory by the end。But then there's everything else。 It feels like Sally doesn't have any agency for most of the book; she spends two thirds of it wandering between realms and not really learning anything， and even when she finally defeats the bad guy at the end， she still needed to be rescued （by Zero， who's a dog。 I love Zero， but shouldn't Sally be the one saving the day here？）。 Plus while everyone seems really pleased that Sally has saved them all， it WAS her that put everyone in danger in the first place， albeit accidentally。 It makes her seem stupid， when she's anything but。Then there's the plot twist about her true parentage， which didn't sit right with me at all。 It's unnecessary， and while I'm not adverse to retcons when they're done well， this one didn't really add anything to the plot other than giving Sally more people to lock her in rooms。 I get that it's meant to help with the theme of belonging， but I didn't care enough about either of her parents for it to make an impact。I think a better explanation about why Doctor Finkelstein kidnapped her was needed as well， it's kind of just 'because I wanted to， haha， I'm evil'。 I know the Doctor isn't the deepest character， but it turns him into more of a villain than is needed。Again， maybe I'm just too invested in the source material。 But what I wanted was a story about Sally saving the day and showing everyone why she deserves her own story in the first place， which I don't think this delivered for me。 I'm disappointed。 。。。more
Jakki （BizzyBookBish）
，
I didn’t know I needed a sequel to the Nightmare Before Christmas until I did！ This was my first book by Ernshaw and it took a second to get my bearing with her style of writing and Sally’s narration。 Once I was in though I was in I was completely enthralled with this story。 The writing is beautiful and lyrical。 I loved Sally’s inner monologues and found her to be authentic to the Sally I knew and loved as a child。 I found her uncertainty and anxiousness to be extremely enduring and relatable。 I I didn’t know I needed a sequel to the Nightmare Before Christmas until I did！ This was my first book by Ernshaw and it took a second to get my bearing with her style of writing and Sally’s narration。 Once I was in though I was in I was completely enthralled with this story。 The writing is beautiful and lyrical。 I loved Sally’s inner monologues and found her to be authentic to the Sally I knew and loved as a child。 I found her uncertainty and anxiousness to be extremely enduring and relatable。 I loved that she gets some closure on her past and some affirmation in who she is as a person。 The plot was so much fun， I absolutely adore the new characters。 The adventure solid and sucks you right in。 The world building is everything I wanted it to be， finally I get to see what’s inside all those trees in the forest！ And that ending！ Is it too much to hope there will be another ？ 。。。more
Shelby Loren
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 4。5 stars （I rounded up tho！） Upon first hearing that one of my fave authors was writing a Sally story， I was friggin thrilled！！ This was such a fun adventure with Sally taking the lead！ I really loved Dream Town， and Ernshaw painted such a beautiful picture of it with her words！ It was fun seeing a bit into each holiday door （something I've always been curious about！） I loved how the story wrapped up too！ It was an excellent conclusion！ The only little disappointment I had was that literally ev 4。5 stars （I rounded up tho！） Upon first hearing that one of my fave authors was writing a Sally story， I was friggin thrilled！！ This was such a fun adventure with Sally taking the lead！ I really loved Dream Town， and Ernshaw painted such a beautiful picture of it with her words！ It was fun seeing a bit into each holiday door （something I've always been curious about！） I loved how the story wrapped up too！ It was an excellent conclusion！ The only little disappointment I had was that literally everyone was asleep for most of the book。 I really did love what bit of Jack and Sally moments we did get， though！ 。。。more
Books_and_Crafts
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binge read this book and enjoyed it for the most part。 The imagery that encompasses the nightmare before Christmas was there however the execution for the story as a whole was not the greatest。 There were some descriptions that really didn't fit and threw off the experience。 Skeletons don't have eyelids and ragdolls don't have teeth idk binge read this book and enjoyed it for the most part。 The imagery that encompasses the nightmare before Christmas was there however the execution for the story as a whole was not the greatest。 There were some descriptions that really didn't fit and threw off the experience。 Skeletons don't have eyelids and ragdolls don't have teeth idk 。。。more
Dani
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As a parent， I feel so justified in saying that if someone had just closed the flipping door， this never would have happened。The book kicks off with their wedding。 They're getting ready to go on their honeymoon that is just one night long。 Jack。 C'mon dude。 At least he takes her to Valentine's Town for a romantic evening。No one is listening to Sally's opinions of being Queen and are being unkind to her in Halloween Town。 She ends up being the only creature other than Zero awake after she acciden As a parent， I feel so justified in saying that if someone had just closed the flipping door， this never would have happened。The book kicks off with their wedding。 They're getting ready to go on their honeymoon that is just one night long。 Jack。 C'mon dude。 At least he takes her to Valentine's Town for a romantic evening。No one is listening to Sally's opinions of being Queen and are being unkind to her in Halloween Town。 She ends up being the only creature other than Zero awake after she accidentally opened the door to Dream Town and put everyone to sleep in all of the holiday towns。It was sweet and slow in some places but it's the Nightmare Before Christmas universe so I enjoyed it。 This is probably more YA or Middle Grade than I was expecting。Thank you to Netgalley， Disney Press， and Shea Ernshaw for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review。 My opinions are my own。 。。。more
Robin （Bridge Four）
，
This review was originally posted on Books of My HeartReview copy was received from NetGalley。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。I am a huge fan of the Nightmare Before Christmas and have seen it so many times that I was immediately interested in revisiting the characters of that story。 It is hard to recapture the brilliance and wonder that you felt the first time you see a show like that and Long Live the Pumpkin Queen had a lot to live up to。Sally and Ja This review was originally posted on Books of My HeartReview copy was received from NetGalley。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。I am a huge fan of the Nightmare Before Christmas and have seen it so many times that I was immediately interested in revisiting the characters of that story。 It is hard to recapture the brilliance and wonder that you felt the first time you see a show like that and Long Live the Pumpkin Queen had a lot to live up to。Sally and Jack are now married and starting their new life together。 It is such a huge change for Sally。 She loves Jack， but how is she supposed to be a Queen。 She hates all the extra attention and how they want to dress her in different clothes and shoes， this isn't at all what she wanted。 When she finds a new door in the woods and is curious; she opens it and almost gets sucked in。 Sally gets away but leaves the door open and an ancient creature escapes into her home world。 Now everyone is asleep and Sally needs to find a way not only to save her holiday but all the other holidays too。The thing Long Live the Pumpkin Queen is missing is the live action （yes I know it is a book） and the songs。 One of the best things about the Nightmare Before Christmas was all of the fantastic songs to go along with the live Claymation。 Because this is a book， it is all in your head and so we are missing the magic that Claymation brings to the story along with so many great fun songs。 While the story is entertaining， with Sally finding her inner strength and going to all the known holidays as well as Dream Town， which is not only where the Sandman comes from but also where we learn more of Sally's true origin story， some of the magic was missing for me。 I had a good time in the story， I liked seeing all the holiday towns and learning that there are more doors out there。 It was really interesting going to Dream Town and seeing how life is lived there along with opening up other potential places for stories in other books。 I liked Sally's growth as a character as she finds her inner strength and her voice。Really this is best imagined as a live action Claymation story and my mind just couldn't be inventive enough to get me there on my own， which is why most of this book fell a little flat。 Solid story， interesting characters， solid ending but missing something to make it live up to the original。Narration: Cissy Jones looks pretty new to narration。 She did really great and I have no complaints about her voice or performance。 She was wonderful with the voices and the story but like I said before some of the magic is missing and I don't think it is Cissy Jones' fault at all。 I was able to listen at my usual 1。5x speadListen to a clip: HERE 。。。more
Shelby McIntyre
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Being a huge NBC fan， I loved this book。 Getting to read through Sally’s perspective was interesting。 I was concerned when I first heard about this book that it wouldn’t be as movie。 I think this book was better！
ems_peach
，
I absolutely loved this book！ Shea Ernshaw perfectly created a new Nightmare Before Christmas story that I think even Tim Burton would approve of。 Getting to understand Sally more as a complex character was so interesting and refreshing。 I would definitely recommend this book for middle grade， young adult， and adult nightmare fans！ I went into this book completely blind to the plot and I was so happy that I did because of involved the setting and world of Nightmare Before Christmas becomes。 Than I absolutely loved this book！ Shea Ernshaw perfectly created a new Nightmare Before Christmas story that I think even Tim Burton would approve of。 Getting to understand Sally more as a complex character was so interesting and refreshing。 I would definitely recommend this book for middle grade， young adult， and adult nightmare fans！ I went into this book completely blind to the plot and I was so happy that I did because of involved the setting and world of Nightmare Before Christmas becomes。 Thank you to Disney Audio and Net Galley for giving me the ARC audiobook！ The narration is fantastic with Danny Elfman inspired music in-between chapters。 。。。more
Michelle
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Not enough Jack but a nice coming into your own skin story。 Quick read and we get a peak into other realms。
Derek Wagner
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This is such a cute book。 If you love Nightmare before Christmas you'll love this。 Sally finding herself is sweet and heartwarming！ Well worth the read！ This is such a cute book。 If you love Nightmare before Christmas you'll love this。 Sally finding herself is sweet and heartwarming！ Well worth the read！ 。。。more
Kimmie
，
Thanks to NetGalley & Disney for an ARC in exchange for an honest reviewFans of the Nightmare Before Christmas will enjoy this book for the chance to revisit familiar character & settings， but I think the real gift this book offers is a fuller story for Sally， the newly crowned Pumpkin Queen。 Readers get the opportunity to explore a beloved character's past as the move through a story that is part nightmare， romance， and retelling of legends/fairy tales。 While the beginning of the book moves slo Thanks to NetGalley & Disney for an ARC in exchange for an honest reviewFans of the Nightmare Before Christmas will enjoy this book for the chance to revisit familiar character & settings， but I think the real gift this book offers is a fuller story for Sally， the newly crowned Pumpkin Queen。 Readers get the opportunity to explore a beloved character's past as the move through a story that is part nightmare， romance， and retelling of legends/fairy tales。 While the beginning of the book moves slowly， revisiting Halloween Town and its residents， once Sally starts to untangle the threads of her own story & and finds that the fate of Halloween Town （and all the other towns！） rests on her， the plot moves swiftly through revelations and twists to a lovely conclusion！ 。。。more
Cap
，
Such a cute book！ And a book that I didn’t know I needed。 I love NBC， and when I was given this arc to read， my heart was so happy！ The beginning took a little getting used to because Sally was a bit too much for me， but the character growth we see by the end is beautiful。 Also， loved that we got to explore the other realms a little bit too！
Tayler
，
What a perfect cozy read！ I loved learning more about sally and what happened after the end of the nightmare before Christmas。
Annabel_Hawkins
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Did ANYONE here read the same book that I read？First of all。。。。this。。。was not YA。 This was Middle Grade。 From the actual print/font size （the largest I've ever seen in YA）， to the premise （I was met with miserable flashbacks to reading Nightmare Before Christmas fanfiction as a tween， written by other tweens）， to the romance （less than the movie had）， to the actual writing itself （I've read Ernshaw before， I do like her writing， and this didn't sound like her /at all/。）With that out of the way， Did ANYONE here read the same book that I read？First of all。。。。this。。。was not YA。 This was Middle Grade。 From the actual print/font size （the largest I've ever seen in YA）， to the premise （I was met with miserable flashbacks to reading Nightmare Before Christmas fanfiction as a tween， written by other tweens）， to the romance （less than the movie had）， to the actual writing itself （I've read Ernshaw before， I do like her writing， and this didn't sound like her /at all/。）With that out of the way， this felt bland， uninspired， and lacking in any of the macabre that the film was so full of--no where in this novel did it feel like Halloween， that sense of novelty in other Holidays but the feeling of coming home in their own world。 Sally's origin story was。。。something， but far less gruesome and interesting than it is in the original story。 And sure， none of these characters had much personality in the movie， but with a novel， I expected。。。extrapolation？ 。。。more
Kara Kozla
，
I have to admit I was scared when I first learned about it。 After all this is a book from one of my favorite lands ever that involved my most favorite characters。 There was SO much that could have gone horribly hopelessly wrong and yet， Shea Ernshaw went above and beyond doing it justice and giving me the feeling of returning to Halloween Town， seeing my beloved friends once more and learning more about Sally。 I will not go into details。 I will not release spoilers。 I will simply say I was encha I have to admit I was scared when I first learned about it。 After all this is a book from one of my favorite lands ever that involved my most favorite characters。 There was SO much that could have gone horribly hopelessly wrong and yet， Shea Ernshaw went above and beyond doing it justice and giving me the feeling of returning to Halloween Town， seeing my beloved friends once more and learning more about Sally。 I will not go into details。 I will not release spoilers。 I will simply say I was enchanted and in love with the story。 It had twists and turns and it brought me to tears。 I loved it。 I am so glad I have it， I am THRILLED that Barnes and Noble got it to me today （7/29/2022） with their special edition （that has Sally's Book of Potions， Home Remedies & Apothecary Cures in the back）。If you enjoyed Nightmare Before Christmas and felt Sally needed more， this is it and it is wonderful！ 。。。more
james hoff
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First of all I would like to thank "Disney Publishing Group" for sending this to me thank you so very much once again。 Wow Shea Ernshaw is absolutely fantastic I loved this book because I could see that it was written in first person so basically in Sally's life which I thought was fantastic and I loved how this book carried on from the movie a year later。 I loved the plot line and the new characters and the holidays this was a fantastic read。 First of all I would like to thank "Disney Publishing Group" for sending this to me thank you so very much once again。 Wow Shea Ernshaw is absolutely fantastic I loved this book because I could see that it was written in first person so basically in Sally's life which I thought was fantastic and I loved how this book carried on from the movie a year later。 I loved the plot line and the new characters and the holidays this was a fantastic read。 。。。more
Heather
，
To say that I am a Nightmare Before Christmas fan is an understatement。 I watch it several times a year and have collected many items of Jack， Sally and the gang from Halloween Town。 So， when I saw Long Live the Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw， I knew I had to have it！ Publication Date: 08。02。22Synopsis:As the new queen of Halloween Town， Sally Skellington did not expect the life that was to come。 She knew she loved Jack but did not know the amount of pressure it would take to become the Pumpkin Q To say that I am a Nightmare Before Christmas fan is an understatement。 I watch it several times a year and have collected many items of Jack， Sally and the gang from Halloween Town。 So， when I saw Long Live the Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw， I knew I had to have it！ Publication Date: 08。02。22Synopsis:As the new queen of Halloween Town， Sally Skellington did not expect the life that was to come。 She knew she loved Jack but did not know the amount of pressure it would take to become the Pumpkin Queen。 This pressure only mounts when on their honeymoon as she meets Ruby Valentino the Queen of Valentine's Town。 As she returns to Halloween Town， Sally still doesn't feel comfortable in her new role。 But when Sally and Zero find a doorway hidden in the forest to an ancient realm called Dream Town， her actions will effect her role as Pumpkin Queen and the fate of Halloween Town。 Thoughts:-The beginning was very difficult for me to get into perhaps because of the long chapters。 It also took some time to get used to Sally's narrated voice。 Not sure I enjoyed it but got used to it。-Did not expect Sally to be as meek and fearful as she was in this story。 I always saw her as a stronger character。-Great character development which I was thankful for。-A cute sequel to one of my favorite holiday movies。-I feel that the original was so perfect that another movie or book would have been extremely difficult to create。 Kudos to Shea Ernshaw for taking on such a task。A book that I would recommend to those Nightmare Before Christmas fans。 I may recommend the novel over the audiobook because of Sally's voice。Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Audiobooks for this copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Cheyanne
，
I enjoyed every second of this book！ It takes place right after the movie and I couldn’t have been more giddy to get into a book。 I loved that we got learn more about Halloween town and all of the other holidays。 I enjoyed every second of learning more about sally and her own background and feelings。 The story was sweet and just the same feeling you would get from the first movie。 I would love to see this story one day on the big screen。
Danni Beall
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It was so much better than I thought it would be！ While I enjoyed Nightmare Before Christmas， I only ever watched it for Sally。 So…a book about what happens after， from her point of view？？？ Must have！ Sally is so relatable in this story， so anxious， so doubtful about who she is， and only sure of her love for Jack。 And then something happens， and the reluctant Queen must save the King…and literally everyone else from all the worlds。 So。 Freaking。 Awesome！！！
Lauryn
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🎃BOOK REVIEW🎃Long Live the Pumpkin Queen by Shea ErnshawRelease Date: August 2， 2022⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5It’s official。 Sally is now Sally Skellington， Queen of Halloweentown。 Marrying Jack is all she ever wanted， to be with her one true love。 What she didn’t want was what comes with being Queen。 Feeling overwhelmed with her new queenly duties， Sally runs off in to the Hinterlands with Zero to try to gain some perspective。 In her trip out to the holiday trees， she and Zero come across an ancient tree， with 🎃BOOK REVIEW🎃Long Live the Pumpkin Queen by Shea ErnshawRelease Date: August 2， 2022⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5It’s official。 Sally is now Sally Skellington， Queen of Halloweentown。 Marrying Jack is all she ever wanted， to be with her one true love。 What she didn’t want was what comes with being Queen。 Feeling overwhelmed with her new queenly duties， Sally runs off in to the Hinterlands with Zero to try to gain some perspective。 In her trip out to the holiday trees， she and Zero come across an ancient tree， with a door not seen in many many years。 The shape of the crescent moon， this doorway leads to Dream Town; a long lost town left to live only in legends。 Once the door is opened， Sally is spooked and runs away， only to come back and find everyone in Halloweentown fast asleep。 Sally has unleashed an ancient creature， and she seems to be the only one in any of the holiday towns awake。 It is up to her to save her world。 This new Pumpkin Queen， full of fear and doubt， has to face the past to save her future。 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃I will say this now and I will say this loud: DO NOT EXPECT THIS BOOK TO BE A RETELLING OF THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS。 IT IS NOT。 It is a wholly new story， based around Sally。 And I loved it。 Nightmare has been one of my favorite movies since I was a kid and I really enjoyed getting this story， Sally’s story， told in this way。 It is a really cool story， with a totally different story line。 Overall it is a really fun read。 You get to meet people and creatures from all over the holidays and see Sally interact with the human world this time。 It was a really creative way to tie in another story from when we were kids， in to a really beloved Disney classic。 If you walk in to this book thinking it is going to be the movie in book form， you will be greatly disappointed。 However， if you walk in to it with an open mind and honestly no expectations， I believe you will really enjoy it。 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃✨Thank you @netgalley for the opportunity to read this before it is published！！✨#summerromcomreadathon #bookstagram #bookmom #bookstagrammer #bookclub #whatimreading #bookies #bookish #readwithme #ilovebooks #booksbookandmorebooks #bookishlife#bookishthings #currentlyreading #bookrecs #nightmarebeforechristmas #longlivethepumpkinqueen #disneybooks #nostalgia 。。。more
Neshia Crane
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Thank you Netgalley。I absolutely love The Nightmare Before Christmas so I was incredibly excited to read this book。 It was not what I was expecting。 I hate to give a bad review， but this was tough to get through。 I didn't care for the narrator。 I would recommend reading this one instead。 I also felt like the target audience for young adults is a bit of a stretch。 That may be only because in the first chapter。 They are on their honeymoon and there was some sexual tension from Sally which felt was Thank you Netgalley。I absolutely love The Nightmare Before Christmas so I was incredibly excited to read this book。 It was not what I was expecting。 I hate to give a bad review， but this was tough to get through。 I didn't care for the narrator。 I would recommend reading this one instead。 I also felt like the target audience for young adults is a bit of a stretch。 That may be only because in the first chapter。 They are on their honeymoon and there was some sexual tension from Sally which felt was unnecessary。 If they were to take that first chapter out I would recommend this as a middle school novel。 The pace wasn't great and just fell a bit flat。 I also didn't feel that her personality was the same as the movie。 She had zero confidence which felt so out of character for Sally。 I'm going to give it three stars because I did like it but I was hoping for more。Sally Skellington is the official， newly-minted Pumpkin Queen after a whirlwind courtship with her true love， Jack， who Sally adores with every inch of her fabric seams -- if only she could say the same for her new role as Queen of Halloween Town。 Cast into the spotlight and tasked with all sorts of queenly duties， Sally can't help but wonder if all she's done is trade her captivity under Dr。 FInkelstein for a different -- albeit gilded -- cage。 But when Sally and Zero accidentally uncover a long-hidden doorway to an ancient realm called Dream Town in the forest Hinterlands， she'll unknowingly set into motion a chain of sinister events that put her future as Pumpkin Queen， and the future of Halloween Town itself， into jeopardy。 Can Sally discover what it means to be true to herself and save the town she's learned to call home， or will her future turn into her worst。。。 well， nightmare。 。。。more
Mercutio
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I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I was hoping to get to know Sally more， and see more of her relationship with Jack。 This book was definitely all about Sally and her character arc， including find her place in Halloweentown， and there wasn't too much of a focus on her and Jack。 But the parts that did focus on them as a couple were really lovely。The prose and description in this novel is so pretty， it read almost Laini Taylor-ish and was very fitting both in I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I was hoping to get to know Sally more， and see more of her relationship with Jack。 This book was definitely all about Sally and her character arc， including find her place in Halloweentown， and there wasn't too much of a focus on her and Jack。 But the parts that did focus on them as a couple were really lovely。The prose and description in this novel is so pretty， it read almost Laini Taylor-ish and was very fitting both in terms of painting the Halloweentown world， and for putting the reader in someone like Sally's imaginative and sensitive mind。 I dunno if this makes sense but it was almost like Anne of Green Gables meets gothy dream world。The audiobook is also wonderful， with bit of Elfman-ish music here and there between chapters， and the narrator sounds a lot like Sally， in my opinion。 The narrator also did a good job of capturing Jack's tone。I'm definitely going to read this book again with my book club friends when it's officially released。 。。。more
Mystic Forest Crafts
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I received an early copy of this book in audio format from NetGalley in return for an honest review。The narrator did a decent job sounding like Sally。 There were times that she came off a bit whiny but I think that had to do more with writing and direction than the narrator。Pros:This book gives people what they have been asking for since seeing the movie， a chance to explore the other towns。 Each is gone through and great detail is given to their appearance and it suits the holiday perfectly。 I I received an early copy of this book in audio format from NetGalley in return for an honest review。The narrator did a decent job sounding like Sally。 There were times that she came off a bit whiny but I think that had to do more with writing and direction than the narrator。Pros:This book gives people what they have been asking for since seeing the movie， a chance to explore the other towns。 Each is gone through and great detail is given to their appearance and it suits the holiday perfectly。 I appreciate also that they mentioned almost endless new worlds to visit based on other legends。Cons:My biggest complaint about this book is that it begins with Sally as a weak， timid， fearful creature。 She has never been these things。 She is the rag doll who would drug her captor to get out and explore。 She is the smart and strong female who spoke up about things not being a good idea。 Sally is the one who goes against Oogie Boogie without support because it is the right thing to do。 She isn’t a meek being to allow others to make her run away from the life she has fought to gain。 It could take her a little thinking to decide to how to handle things， but her hiding her fears about being queen and sneaking out to escape people dressing her feels like a way to completely undo the character growth and development she had in the movie。 They didn’t have to make her less than she was to make this book amazing。 。。。more
Skye
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