[Book Review] Long Live The Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw & Bones Coffee Ruff Weather

Title: Long Live The Pumpkin Queen
Series: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas
Author: Shea Ernshaw
Publication date: August 2nd 2022
Page Count: 315 pages
Age Rating: YA (some slightly disturbing imagery & mentions of death)
How I got my hot little hands on it: Bought
Publisher’s page: Long Live The Pumpkin Queen

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 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?

My Review

Fan favorites Sally the ragdoll and Zero the ghost dog take center stage in Long Live The Pumpkin Queen, a new addition to the world of The Nightmare Before Christmas.

The book opens right after Jack Skellington and Sally tie the knot. With Halloween only two weeks away, Sally’s thrust right into the middle of the upcoming Halloween whirlwind as the new Pumpkin Queen. She has no idea what her new title even entails, just that the people of Halloween Town clamor for pictures and attention, expecting her to look a certain way and be involved in planning Halloween events – it’s a lot for a ragdoll who until recently was locked away under the controlling thumb of Dr. Finklestein.

Trying to get a moment alone, Sally, with Zero in tow, seeks shelter in the forest Hinterlands where she stumbles upon a hidden tree doorway to a forgotten realm: Dream Town. Mistakes are made and Sally accidentally unleashes The Sandman, putting not only Halloween Town, but all the other holiday towns, and even the human world, in danger. With Jack and everyone she knows incapacitated, Sally is on her own trying to fix things and she finds herself on a mission of self-discovery as well as a mission to save the day (and night).

The author does a great job of keeping the same feel and atmosphere as the Nightmare Before Christmas movie. The whole time I was reading I was able to picture the story in my mind like a stop-motion sequel to the original. Exploring all the holiday towns, meeting new characters, and getting a deeper view of familiar characters and locations was really fun and probably my favorite part of the book. The story was interesting as well, but it’s the people and places that really sell it.

I’ve always loved the character of Sally and was thrilled for a chance to get to know her better and really have her “fleshed out” and learn her backstory and history. It was great to see her as a real character with feelings and wants that didn’t revolve around Jack (although her deep love for Jack is still a big part of her, they really adore each other and it’s very cute to see). The whole journey is about her figuring out who she is outside of everyone’s expectations of her, and isn’t that relatable.

Long Live The Pumpkin Queen is classified as YA, but the voice of Sally and the story are a bit harder to pin down than that. It can easily go younger into MG (the story matter, imagery, and language used are on par with the movie) or even a bit older into NA/Adult (Sally as a newly married woman, coming from a restrictive background, trying to figure out who she is in the context of this new stage in her life). It is a bit of an odd incongruity, having a story stretching into so many age ranges, but I feel like the original movie had such a wide-range appeal, that it fits.

As a fan of Nightmare Before Christmas as a whole, and Sally in particular, I couldn’t get my hands on this book fast enough and I’m glad I did. The nostalgia factor alone made it worth it, but it’s also a well-written story that transports the reader right back to the magic of Halloween Town and the spooky cozy company of old friends with new twists. Long Live The Pumpkin Queen is a must-have for Nightmare Before Christmas fans of any age (and if you’re looking for a gift idea for a fan in your life, they’ll love it).

Bones Coffee is doing a really cool officially-licensed collection inspired by The Nightmare Before Christmas, each bag featuring some really fun packaging and great flavors. I recommend the Ruff Weather blend, both because it features Zero lighting the way and looking cute and because it’s a sweet and creamy medium roast with the taste of an oatmeal cream pie.