Scan barcode
kimsbookmoon's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent for those of us who cannot get enough of The Nightmare Before Christmas!!
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
3.5 ⭐
Long Live the Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw is the sequel to Tim Burton's A Nightmare Before Christmas. This was a fun, light read, perfect for Halloween. I love that Sally has gotten her own story!
We follow Sally after the events of the movie when she has married Jack Skellington, and becomes the Pumpkin Queen. Sally wanted nothing but her freedom when she was confined by Dr. Finkelstein, and is elated that she now gets to spend her life with her one true love. However, being married to Jack isn't as easy as she thought it would be. The demands of being a queen are a heavy burden to bear, with expectations that chafe at her free will.
We get to learn more about the other holiday realms from the movie. Sally and Jack visit Valentine's Town for their honeymoon. I'm glad we got more worldbuilding, even though it was a pretty brief foray into each realm. We finally get to learn more about Sally's backstory! When Sally escapes to the grove with the holiday trees to escape the pressures of being the Pumpkin Queen, she and Zero stumble upon another tree, forgotten and blocked with weeds. She accidentally leaves it open unleashing a monster into Halloween Town that puts everyone (including Jack) into a death like sleep they cannot wake from. Sally must find a way to wake everyone up and come to terms with her role as Queen.
Honestly, I didn't think this was terribly deep, but we get to revisit a beloved world and characters, and get the holiday realms expanded upon. Sally's lesson in the story is about creating your own expectations and rules for being in her role as Queen. She doesn't need to be like other queens or be what everyone in Halloween Town expects. She discovers her own strengths and belonging. Definitely a good read if you ever wanted to learn more about Sally in a story that gives her more agency.
Long Live the Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw is the sequel to Tim Burton's A Nightmare Before Christmas. This was a fun, light read, perfect for Halloween. I love that Sally has gotten her own story!
We follow Sally after the events of the movie when she has married Jack Skellington, and becomes the Pumpkin Queen. Sally wanted nothing but her freedom when she was confined by Dr. Finkelstein, and is elated that she now gets to spend her life with her one true love. However, being married to Jack isn't as easy as she thought it would be. The demands of being a queen are a heavy burden to bear, with expectations that chafe at her free will.
We get to learn more about the other holiday realms from the movie. Sally and Jack visit Valentine's Town for their honeymoon. I'm glad we got more worldbuilding, even though it was a pretty brief foray into each realm. We finally get to learn more about Sally's backstory! When Sally escapes to the grove with the holiday trees to escape the pressures of being the Pumpkin Queen, she and Zero stumble upon another tree, forgotten and blocked with weeds. She accidentally leaves it open unleashing a monster into Halloween Town that puts everyone (including Jack) into a death like sleep they cannot wake from. Sally must find a way to wake everyone up and come to terms with her role as Queen.
Honestly, I didn't think this was terribly deep, but we get to revisit a beloved world and characters, and get the holiday realms expanded upon. Sally's lesson in the story is about creating your own expectations and rules for being in her role as Queen. She doesn't need to be like other queens or be what everyone in Halloween Town expects. She discovers her own strengths and belonging. Definitely a good read if you ever wanted to learn more about Sally in a story that gives her more agency.
darricksgal's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
stitchsaddiction's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
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
3.0
Long Live the Pumpkin Queen takes place just after Jack and Sally Skellington get married and I had hopes of this being a great addition to the Nightmare Before Christmas world especially as, although Sally is a main character in the movie. We know so little about her and she never seemed to quite fit with anyone else in the movie character-wise.
There are so many aspects of this that I did love, particularly when we see behind the holiday doors in the Grove such as Valentine Town. I'd always hoped we would get some mini spin-offs of the franchise on TV or movie screen so the author delivers with this. (I would say, I didn't get why there's a 4th of July door as it's not a widespread holiday like the others but there we go.)
The concept of Sally being at the centre of the story, and yet feeling misplaced in Halloweentown/her role as Queen by Jack's side is a good one. However, the story didn't live up to the hopes I had for this book because the movie and characters were a firm favourite for me and my family. Admittedly I despised Oogie's character from day one but the vampires and witches always made me giggle. I do like how the author explores Sally’s background and successfully introduces their characters to the story so they mesh well to bring this new story to life.
Unfortunately, despite that, the story felt a little lacklustre and one I'll donate rather than keep.
There are so many aspects of this that I did love, particularly when we see behind the holiday doors in the Grove such as Valentine Town. I'd always hoped we would get some mini spin-offs of the franchise on TV or movie screen so the author delivers with this. (I would say, I didn't get why there's a 4th of July door as it's not a widespread holiday like the others but there we go.)
The concept of Sally being at the centre of the story, and yet feeling misplaced in Halloweentown/her role as Queen by Jack's side is a good one. However, the story didn't live up to the hopes I had for this book because the movie and characters were a firm favourite for me and my family. Admittedly I despised Oogie's character from day one but the vampires and witches always made me giggle. I do like how the author explores Sally’s background and successfully introduces their characters to the story so they mesh well to bring this new story to life.
Unfortunately, despite that, the story felt a little lacklustre and one I'll donate rather than keep.
lee_noel's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Very cis-het, but I liked seeing Sally with more agency and self-direction. Decent story!
anxiousartsyself's review against another edition
4.0
This is more like a 3.5 star for me but I’m rounding up because of the nostalgia. I tried not to have too high hopes going into it because I love the nightmare before Christmas. At first it seemed as though it’s for younger than YA but the more you get into the book the less like that it felt. I ended up loving the premise of the story and ate it up. The ending was very Disney like, not to give too much spoilers but I think that can be assumed considering they published it. I would like to actually see this as a movie. I loved seeing things in Sally’s perspective and learning more about her. If I were younger I’m sure it would be an even better book.
natalie_reads_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
5.0
overhillunderhill's review against another edition
I won't rate it because I am so deeply not its target audience. If you are a 12 to 15 year old girl struggling with your identity, this would be a fun read.
strange_human's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5