Hi everyone! I hope you’re well. It’s Friday, and it’s time for another review. Today, I am reviewing Shea Ernshaw’s Long Live the Pumpkin Queen, the sequel to Disney’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Long Live the Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw was initially published in August 2022 by Disney Books and is 304 pages long.
The Plot
Almost a year after the events of the excellent movie The Nightmare Before Christmas, Jack and Sally have gotten married, making Sally the Pumpkin Queen, a role she struggles with. Trying to escape the mounting pressure, Sally finds herself fleeing to the woods, where she accidentally finds and opens an ancient doorway to a long-forgotten town. When she returns, Sally discovers that the whole of Halloween Town has been put inexplicably to sleep by a strange bearded man throwing sand around. It’s up to Sally to save not only Halloween Town but every holiday town.
Characters
Sally Skellington – The Pumpkin Queen
Despite finding her freedom from Doctor Finkelstein, Sally is still trying to discover who she is and, more specifically, how she can merge her new role as the queen with her own sense of self, which is difficult when the people of Halloween Town are trying to make her into their own idea of a Queen.
Even after the events of The Nightmare Before Christmas, where Sally helps to save Sandy Claws (Santa Claus), she’s still rather timid and unsure of herself. Throughout Long Live the Pumpkin Queen, however, she is forced to be bold and rely on her ingenuity. Spurred on by her love for Jack and Halloween Town, she slowly starts to discover the truth of where she comes from, settling into herself and learning to embrace her newfound Queendom along the way.
Jack Skellington – The Pumpkin King
In this story, Jack’s personality feels a lot more stable than in The Nightmare Before Christmas, showing the effect Sally has on him. He’s more of a backseat character in Long Live the Pumpkin Queen, allowing Sally to shine in her own right.
In the beginning, Jack doesn’t realise that Sally is struggling. When he finally realises, he reassures her that she has it in her to be whatever version of a queen she wants.
The Sandman
The version of the Sandman in Long Live the Pumpkin Queen is interesting: he is characterised as elderly, with a long beard and frizzy hair, who floats around about a foot from the ground. Wrapped in a cloudy cloak, he moves from place to place, sprinkling sand on people and placing them into a dreamless sleep.
He’s written initially as a dark, shadowy figure with a sinister edge, but – without giving too much away – he has a bit of a character arc.
The Sandman provides a seemingly unsolvable problem for Sally, forcing her to keep running and hiding and, in doing so, to learn about her own courage and strength.
Zero
Oh, Zero! I love this ghost dog creature.
He’s protective and loyal to both Jack and Sally and seems to be the only one who recognises that, just because she has become the Queen of Halloween Town, Sally is still the same girl she’s always been.
There is quite a beautiful scene early in the book where Sally and Zero are fleeing from the Sandman. Zero suddenly stops, looking back towards Jack and Sally’s house atop Spiral Hill. She knows he doesn’t want to leave Jack alone, so she tells him it’s okay for him to stay and promises to return when she’s found help. It’s an incredibly touching and beautifully written scene, and you could really feel poor Zero’s sadness. It reminded me of my lovely dog, Sash, who sadly passed in 2014 aged 18. She’d follow me anywhere and couldn’t bear to be parted from me, and this tiny little section of the story brought me right back to her.
Writing Style
Long Live the Pumpkin Queen is written in the first person and present tense, giving you direct access to Sally’s thoughts and feelings and letting you share her experiences as the story unfolds.
There are a few little elements of foreshadowing throughout the book, which I appreciated, such as Sally dreaming on her honeymoon of some dark peril creeping through the streets of Halloween Town. At first, I thought it was to convey the character’s anxiety about having to return and begin her official duties as queen; it was only later that I connected the dots between the dream and the Sandman – a true example of foreshadowing.
The description of Halloween Town makes you feel like you’re watching a movie sequel rather than reading one, and the contrasts between each town are brilliantly done. I felt thoroughly immersed in the world of one of my favourite movies – in fact, it felt more like a whole universe that could expand on forever.
Final Thoughts
The book felt like a natural continuation of the movie, and the characters felt just the same to me – and I should know, I’ve watched The Nightmare Before Christmas at least once a year since 1993.
I especially loved the development of Sally’s character. She is given such a rich backstory, expanding the story world further, which I love. I really couldn’t say enough about how great this book is. It’s fantastic.
The book is wonderfully creepy and a perfect sequel to the movie.
I am giving this marvellous sequel 10/10.
Have you read Long Live the Pumpkin Queen? What did you think?
As always, thanks for reading my review!
Until next time,
George
© 2023 GLT
Categories: Book Reviews, Reading
GEORGE L THOMAS 
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