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bookedbymadeline's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
A fun, quick read perfect for the Halloween season! This is a YA fantasy inspired by Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, following the events after the movie.
It could be repetitive and cheesy at times. Also based on the synopsis it’s not at all what I was expecting but it was still entertaining. I enjoyed the first half better than the second half! It’s definitely one of those “I said I liked it, I didn’t say it was good” type books 😂 you can turn your brain off and just enjoy the ride but it’s not some incredibly written masterpiece.
If you’re a fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas, and don’t mind cheesy writing then I’d recommend it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Self harm, Kidnapping, and Dysphoria
lags2much's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I know there are die hard NBC people out there. This is probably for them. I like NBC but not enough to seek out fanfics and that’s what this feels like.
Content Warnings
Minor: Confinement and Kidnapping
thesvnthsense's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Confinement and Kidnapping
princegene95's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book feels very queer without being explicitly queer. You can definitely see parallels in Sally’s life to many who identify as queer. Not feeling comfortable where they come from or the roles they fill in society. Having people who accept them no matter what. And those were some of the few things I liked about this book.
I also liked being to explore other holiday worlds and see what life is like in those.
I didn’t really like the plot or how slow the story felt. It took almost two thirds of the book for the plot to really get going, and the climax was incredibly underwhelming.
Also, slight spoilers for the very end of the book.Dr. Finklestien deserves a worse punishment than 100 years of community service for all the abuse he put Sally through over the years.
I also liked being to explore other holiday worlds and see what life is like in those.
I didn’t really like the plot or how slow the story felt. It took almost two thirds of the book for the plot to really get going, and the climax was incredibly underwhelming.
Also, slight spoilers for the very end of the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Dysphoria
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, and Kidnapping
maeverose's review against another edition
3.5
This book was overall fun and very true to the vibes of the Nightmare Before Christmas. If you love the movie, I’d definitely recommend it. I do have a few small issues with it, but they’re mostly minor things.
For one, it’s very repetitive. Throughout the book, Sally is trying to grapple with her feelings about being a queen. She doesn’t feel like a queen, and being suddenly treated as one is difficult for her. This is r e a l l y beat over your head throughout the book. And the way she finally seems to accept her role as a queen?by ‘meeting’ queen elizabeth II… I really was not prepared for the sudden praise of the english monarchy there. Lol so out of left field. Could’ve done without that
Second, I felt like Sally was overly timid and clingy towards Jack. It’s been over a year since I’ve seen the movie, and I do remember her being somewhat timid, but I remember her being much more confident and independent than she is in this book.
This isn’t a complaint for me personally, but despite this being marketed as YA, it has a strong middle grade feel to me. I think the romance element is the only thing making it YA, as it would’ve felt a bit out of place for middle grade (though it’s still very PG of course).The reveal about the villain’s motives at the end is a good example of this. I didn’t mind it, because it felt very in line with this over the top world, but it was very silly and middle grade esque.
Sally being chill with everyone being asleep for even a second made no sense, and when she met her parents she accepted potentially never saving Jack and everyone else way too easily.
Another reviewer pointed out that the Dream Town residents’ fear of the sandman made no sense since he can’t put them to sleep and he already put everyone else to sleep, which I somehow didn’t even question when I read the book but now is glaringly obvious…
As a disabled person I’m always irritated by the disabled villain trope, and the character of Dr. Finkelstein already annoys me for this reason. In this book we find out he’s even worse than we already knew him to be in the movie, and I would’ve preferred if he was just wasn’t in the book that much rather than doubling down on that trope. Of course it’s not like they could’ve made him a good guy when we already know he’s terrible, but to further add to it was unnecessary imo.
To end on a positive note, I did appreciate the casual queer rep, brief as it was.
For one, it’s very repetitive. Throughout the book, Sally is trying to grapple with her feelings about being a queen. She doesn’t feel like a queen, and being suddenly treated as one is difficult for her. This is r e a l l y beat over your head throughout the book. And the way she finally seems to accept her role as a queen?
Second, I felt like Sally was overly timid and clingy towards Jack. It’s been over a year since I’ve seen the movie, and I do remember her being somewhat timid, but I remember her being much more confident and independent than she is in this book.
This isn’t a complaint for me personally, but despite this being marketed as YA, it has a strong middle grade feel to me. I think the romance element is the only thing making it YA, as it would’ve felt a bit out of place for middle grade (though it’s still very PG of course).
As a disabled person I’m always irritated by the disabled villain trope, and the character of Dr. Finkelstein already annoys me for this reason. In this book we find out he’s even worse than we already knew him to be in the movie, and I would’ve preferred if he was just wasn’t in the book that much rather than doubling down on that trope. Of course it’s not like they could’ve made him a good guy when we already know he’s terrible, but to further add to it was unnecessary imo.
To end on a positive note, I did appreciate the casual queer rep, brief as it was.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, and Kidnapping
Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Murder
britwalsh16's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a fun little read! It’s a nice twist on the original movie & seeing what could have happened after The Nightmare Before Christmas. This story follows Sally (who is my favorite character in the book), and it gives me more insight into her mind & who she is; all while she figures that out for herself throughout the book!
And the idea of Jack & Sally having kids sometime in the future makes my heart giddy! Baby Rag Dolls & Skeletons! Yes Please! I want to read that book next!! Haha
Definitely worth the read for fans of the movie!
And the idea of Jack & Sally having kids sometime in the future makes my heart giddy! Baby Rag Dolls & Skeletons! Yes Please! I want to read that book next!! Haha
Definitely worth the read for fans of the movie!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement and Kidnapping
Minor: Child abuse
jadejade's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
There are some interesting ideas here. For example, I really liked how in the end Sally is literally made the stuff of nightmares and dreams ).
Unfortunately the novel did not work for me:
* The story didn't really get interesting for me until about halfway through.
* I was waiting forSally's parents to be revealed to be a dream but, no, apparently we're sticking with the kidnapping explanation .
* I was utterly dumbfounded by the cameo ofQueen Elizabeth II , and I cannot understand why she is identified by name (I would have been fine with alluding to her) and why several pages are devoted to praising her.
I love the movie that inspired this middle grade novel ... Maybe that's the issue. Anyway, I clearly wasn't the right reader.
Unfortunately the novel did not work for me:
* The story didn't really get interesting for me until about halfway through.
* I was waiting for
* I was utterly dumbfounded by the cameo of
I love the movie that inspired this middle grade novel ... Maybe that's the issue. Anyway, I clearly wasn't the right reader.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror, Confinement, and Kidnapping
alicia_g's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I really wanted to like this book- but I found it too predictable and cheesy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Kidnapping
eed8's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement and Kidnapping
keepingitread's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I was really excited when I seen this book came out, I really enjoyed getting to learn more about Sally and read from her perspective. It was an interesting twist on the original novel and I don't think it feels to far fetched like I thought it might. It was a really great read for Halloween.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Confinement and Gaslighting