What a magical experience!! As a long time fan of the original Nightmare Before Christmas movie, this continuation tugged at my heart strings.

The story included so many beloved characters that made it feel like there was no pause between the movie and the book. The author kept true to Sally’s personality as well as Jack’s while adding a little more to all the other side characters we’ve come to love.

The storyline held mystery and adventure and the surprise reveal of Sally’s past had me gasping in shock. The book was very fast paced and a quick read!

On a more technical level, there seemed to be a lot of redundancy. I would come across a statement and a few pages/ minutes later it would be repeated in the same context but different paragraphs. This was my only complaint.

Thanks so much NetGalley and Disney Audiobooks for the ARC audiobook to read and review!

I must admit something right up front...I am someone who never really understood the hype surrounding The Nightmare Before Christmas ( dont come for me internet!). For me the story was just fine. However, when I saw that Shea Ernshaw was tackling a book within this universe, I knew I NEEDED to see what she would do with it. She did not disappoint! This quirky and whimsical tale told in Ernshaws classic atmospheric prose was a pure delight!

We pick up with Sally and Jack just after their wedding and as they embark on a honeymoon to Valentine town. There Sally begins to grasp all her new duties as The Pumpkin Queen and is flooded with self doubt. What follows are a series of trials and tribulations that will both push Sally out of her comfort zone and help her discover the type of Queen she will become.

Honestly, this book made me fall a little more in love with the original source material. With themes of self discovery, overcoming self doubt and forging ones own path, there a lot of lessons to be gleaned within these pages.

I can't imagine this being written by anyone else. Ernshaw's telltale style was made for this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Disney Books from providing me with this early release audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

This audiobook was very entertaining with the sounds before each chapter -- it made the audiobook feel magical.

I never thought I needed another story in the Night Before Christmas series, but I guess I did. I was taken by surprise in regards to the different realms that are mentioned in this book. I was happy that we revisited with a lot of the original characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Without spoiling anything, I can say that this book does focus on how Sally's life began, and how she grows as a character. I definitely recommend this book if you are a Nightmare Before Christmas fan -- audiobook preferably because it is so much fun!

All of your favorite characters are still in Halloween Town to celebrate Jack and Sally’s wedding. After their honeymoon to Valentine Town, Jack and Sally are inundated with their obligations as the Pumpkin King and new Pumpkin Queen. Sally is overwhelmed and struggling with her new role. To escape for a short time Sally goes for a walk and finds herself at the grove of the seven trees and she ponders what she wants to do in her new life. She wanders further into the woods and discovers an eighth door with a blue crescent moon. Sally’s curiosity takes over and she opens the door and looks in. She debates exploring but decides to go back and tell Jack. She accidentally leaves the door open when she leaves. Once home, Sally finds that everyone in town is fast asleep and she can’t wake them up. Sally has to try and figure out what happened and she ends up going to the other towns to try and find help. Alas, everyone in those towns are asleep too. There is only one more place to try and that is the new door. This is a fun adventure for those who enjoy the world of The Nightmare before Christmas. The author provides great detail into the characters and adding more elements to this world. The story line is a great follow-up chapter to the original movie. The narrator is not only great at reading the story but is also great at changing her voice to as true to the characters as possible.

As a longtime fan of Nightmare Before Christmas, I really enjoyed the return to Halloween Town. Sally comes alive in the narration of her faceoff with the Sandman. Sally's battles with her anxiety and wondering where she fits in are so relatable.

Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to enjoy and review this ARC!

I did NOT make it very far into this audiobook. The narrator is a big no for me. I get that she was doing a full character voice but Jesus it was annoying. I am going to switch to reading this in it's ebook form.

Sally and Jack Skellington have finally gotten married, and after a quick honeymoon in Valentine's town, they hurry back to Halloween Town prepare for the upcoming October holiday. Unfortunately, the townsfolk have a lot of expectations for their new pumpkin queen, and Sally finds herself fleeing for just a moment of peace and quiet. When she gets back, she discovers that in her panic, she accidentally let a monster into Halloween Town. If she can't solve the mystery of the many realms and learn the identity of the sinister intruder, everyone might remain asleep forever.

This was everything a Nightmare Before Christmas sequel should be. The narration and writing style are exactly what I expected of Sally, and the scenario is just ridiculous and spooky enough that it goes perfectly with the film. I'm not convinced anyone who doesn't already like NBC would like it, as it wobbles toward fan fiction at times, bringing in subtle references and expounding on likely fan theories, but I highly recommend it for fans. The voice actor for the audio book did a great job.

I liked this! I got the audiobook from NetGalley to review early and enjoyed it. It’s cool to see Sally’s own story and how she finds herself after having a personal crisis as well. Also really cool to see a lot of the other towns or at least pieces of it! There were parts of this book with the villain that were really creepy, but it was done well. I liked getting more of Sally’s origin story as well. Overall a really fun read, especially if you like a The Nightmare Before Christmas!

I was granted audio ARC access to Long Live the Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw through the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the approval! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

Long Live the Pumpkin Queen is a story in the world of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, taking place a year or more in the future from the original film and told from the point of view of Sally. Now Jack's blushing bride, Sally loves her husband dearly and will follow him anywhere. When he proposes visiting a new holiday town they've never visited before, Valentine's Town, Sally is nervous and unsure but borrows her husband's bravery and goes along. When they accidentally find their way into a town full of dreams, the Sandman is unleashed on the other towns, and Sally seems to be the only waking person left. Can she save everyone?

I love the idea of more adventures in Tim Burton's world, and the opportunity to read from Sally's point of view was quite intriguing. I wish it ended up being everything the premise promised, but the first third of this book is a whole lot of exposition about the world and Sally and Jack's relationship that accomplishes very little. In short, the first third of this book moves very slowly and only serves to establish that Sally is now a shy, helpless waif rather than the fierce independent woman we met in the film. If I weren't reviewing, I would have given up on this book before it got good, and before Sally found herself again.

The action does pick up after the first third, and the latter two-thirds are full of the adventure and strong Sally I expected. If you're reading this book and you're currently unimpressed with the beginning, keep going! I promise it gets better.

This was presented as YA when the review opportunity came up, and a story in the world certainly has the potential to be YA, but the reading level is very middle-grade.

I reviewed the audiobook, so I should comment on the narration as well. Cissy Jones has made a valiant effort to sound like Sally from the film, but the effort falls short. I wouldn't have minded at all if Cissy read in her own natural voice and the narration didn't sound like Sally at all, but the high-pitched almost-Sally voice was so grating that I think in this case I must recommend the print or eBook version of this book instead. This is not a complaint about the finer points of the narration, I can tell Cissy is likely a very good audiobook narrator, but the attempt at performing Sally's voice while narrating just doesn't work.

4.5
First of I love Shea Ernshaw and have read every book I could get my hand on by her, and when I saw that NetGalley allowed me to listen to her upcoming book about Sally Skellington, I was not only in shock but extremely grateful
Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favorite movies to play not only during Halloween but definitely Christmas.
This book focused more on Sally and how she has become the Pumpkin Queen, however with great power follows great responsibility, and that is what Sally endures.
I reccomend this book to not only Young adults but also middle school kids too.

I am a huge fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas and was very excited when I saw this book coming out. I enjoyed the story but had trouble getting past Sally's narrated voice. Other than that, it was fun revisiting the characters and learning more about Sally.

I will definitely pick up this book when it comes out because the descriptive writing by Shea Ernshaw is not to be missed.

Thank you Disney Press and NetGalley for the audio ARC.

Almost a year after the events of The Nightmare Before Christmas, Jack and Sally are now married and living their best, scariest lives. While Sally is still struggling with her new role as Pumpkin Queen, a strange, deep sleep is imposed on all of Halloweentown. Sally is the only one unaffected, and therefore it's up to her to travel through the doors in the forest to the other worlds to find out what has happened and how she can wake everyone up.

I love Shea Ernshaw's work, so I was so excited to get this ARC. She captured Sally's essence and voice so well, which is always my main concern going into books based on characters that are so distinct and well known. I thought the story was interesting and I'm glad that the canon for The Nightmare Before Christmas is still expanding. This book was more mid to upper-YA than I was expecting, but I think it makes sense for the type of story that Nightmare was/is.

That being said, while I did like this book, I wasn't absolutely in love with it. This is one of those books that I think is a really cool concept and was well executed, but was just not for me. It was a pretty good mix of mystery, Halloween ambience, and wholesome Sally and Jack moments, so I'd definitely still recommend it for anyone looking more of these characters!

3.5 rounding up to 4 stars.

Oh, man...When I heard this book was coming out, I was ecstatic. I love the idea of Nightmare Before Christmas continuing and seeing Sally and Jack's story continue. While I was definitely impressed with the turns the story took, I was a little upset that we didn't get more time with Jack and Sally together, but it was nice to see Sally shine on her own. And Zero! Oh, that sweet little love muffin. I was so glad to see him back and just as wonderful as ever.

Watching the way Sally coped with the transition from obscure girl in the background to Mrs. Skellington the Pumpkin Queen was very true to her character. Her ideas, thoughts, and anxieties matched up well with her movie personality, and when juxtaposed to Jack's outgoing nature, I agree that it could be overwhelming for her.

I went in without reading the synopsis, so I was surprised with the discovery of Dream Town and loved that addition! The added element of the residents, the surprises Sally finds there, and the villain that comes as a result was such a nice touch. The creepy elements from the movie were enhanced and played out well with the descriptions of the new villain and the way he slowly made his way through the other worlds.

The twist once Sally gets to Dream World was...interesting but also pretty predictable. I didn't hate it, but it definitely wasn't a surprise.

Overall, I thought the writing was fabulous! The only thing that got annoying for me was the repetition of descriptive phrases like, "rag doll eyes; rag doll hands; linen skin" etc. We're well aware of what she's made of, so those descriptors could have easily been left out without taking away from the narrative.

Cissy Jones did a fantastic job narrating this book! She really took the original voice elements of the movie characters and channeled it into her narration, and I greatly appreciated that. However, she did have a problem with taking very large, noticeable breaths for long stretches of time, and it did distract from the narration in those sections.

If you're a fan of Nightmare Before Christmas, I think you'll enjoy this! It takes the movie we know and love and adds some excellent character growth to the mix.

Shea Ernshaw did an amazing job bringing us a “Sally Story.” Delving deeper into each holiday door as well as introducing us to a new one “Long Love The Pumpkin Queen” was nothing short of captivating. Not only did we get new worlds we are introduced to new characters. I didn’t want to stop listening nor did I want it to end. This book has everything I loved about “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and MORE. Kudos, Ms. Ernshaw! Thank you for bringing these beloved characters and their story back to life!

Most people probably don’t know this, because I don’t make it as obvious as I *could*, but I am a huge fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas. It is easily my favorite movie of all time. So when I see there are “sequels” to it, I have to try my best to read them. Or in this case, listen to them.

Now, one reason why it’s taken so long for any sequels for The Nightmare Before Christmas to come out is because Tim Burton didn’t really want any. He was afraid that it would become a big thing with people going through the other doors and he just didn’t want that. At least that’s what I’ve heard – who knows?

Well, if the above reasoning is true, then he’d be sorely disappointed in Long Live the Pumpkin Queen – because there’s a lot of going through the other doors. Granted, the point isn’t the other realms, it’s just there is a lot of going through other doors into other realms involved here. There’s also the complete destruction of Sally’s backstory – which I’m not going to get into in depth, but let’s just say, it’s kind of startling.

I honestly didn’t care for Long Live the Pumpkin Queen. The story takes our headstrong Sally and turns her into an insecure waif who is whiny and terrified to become the Pumpkin Queen. It takes nearly the entire story for us to get the Sally we know and love back and frankly, I found it annoying. I can’t see Sally going from the girl who went to try to save “Sandy Claws” from Oogie Boogie on her own acting the way she does for the first third-to-one-half of this book. This isn’t the Sally we know or love and it just irks me.

The story itself was interesting enough, but I just couldn’t get past some things that happened that made certain characters you’ll meet no better than Dr. Finkelstein. There’s a lot that just didn’t fit well with the original story and I’m just not here for it.

The narration was pretty good, although the narrator didn’t quite nail Sally’s voice. The narration had nothing to do with my dislike of the book – that was solely in the storyline.

Bottomline, if you don’t mind an almost complete personality change on Sally’s part, I’d say go ahead and read/listen to this. Otherwise, I wouldn’t bother with it.

Long live, Shea Ernshaw! This is a delightfully wicked and Halloween filled novel told from Sally's perspective from the Nightmare Before Christmas. I LOVED it. I love Nightmare Before Christmas, so this story was already on my wish list.

Main Premise: Sally and Jack have finally sealed the deal and gotten married! They honeymooned in Valentine's Day town (which I hadn't seen before - so it was super fun to see what that town was like - I like the sweets and the cupids flying around best!). But once back from their outing, Sally doesn't feel like she's royalty material. After a particularly grueling day of being modeled into the queen that Halloween Town thinks she should be, she escapes into the woods with Zero. She passes the main cropping of holiday trees and keeps going into parts of the woods normally not traveled. She stumbles upon a door with a blue moon on it... and goes through! Read this one to find out what's behind the blue moon door. Will Sally make it back to Halloween Town? Why was this door forgotten and hidden? What will Zero do? Will Sally ever feel like a proper Pumpkin Queen? Will Sally's romance with Jack flutter out or remain strong? If cupids escape into Halloween Town on Valentine's Day, would there be some unexpected romances as a result? This novel will answer all those questions and more!

What I loved most:
We find out some scandalous gossip about where Sally is really from!
We get a glimpse into Queen Elizabeth's library (creative idea, but not too much time is spent there)
When the cupids get to spend Valentine's Day in Halloween Town - the pairings are excellent!
Zero - what's not to love about him
Sally and Jack's Honeymoon
The glimpses into Valentine's Town and St. Patrick's Town
The growth of Sally's character - she goes from no confidence and self-deprecating to a QUEEN

I was given this book as an audiobook ARC from the publisher for an honest review.

The story is written like a monologue or a diary entry from Sally. We follow her throughout the story and she is thinking aloud/talking to the reader. It is a little unusual. The audiobook’s reader, Sissy Jones, was amazing. She really made it feel like Sally was speaking.

I did like the overall plot of the story. It had a slow start and didn’t start to pick up until 40% through. Then I felt invested. You are able to see Sally grow as a person and start to come into herself. She embraces what she is and the possibilities for her future. I didn’t like the ending until I heard the epilogue. That seemed to have everything tie together.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Disney Audiobooks, and Disney Press in exchange for an honest review.

As a fan of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, I was excited for this book to take me back into the world of Zero, Jack, and Sally. But overall, I felt like this missed the magic of Burton's film. Finding a hidden door to Dream Town was interesting, as was Sally's origin story. I definitely wanted more from LONG LIVE THE PUMPKIN QUEEN and I think teens will as well.

Personally I did NOT like how the audiobook was narrated (the character voices were not good) - to the point where I almost DNF'd because I didn't want to listen to it anymore. This is a book I'd suggest readers try a physical or digital text copy over listening to the audiobook.