Long Live the Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw
Fantasy, Middle Grade/Young Adult Horror, 12+
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Fans of A Nightmare Before Christmas, rejoice! A sequel nearly as amazing as the original movie has been presented to us by the phenomenal Shea Ernshaw, one of my favourite authors of everything creepy and skin-crawly.
Long Live the Pumpkin Queen is the story of Sally after the events of the movie as she begins to fill her role as Queen of Halloweentown. She quickly realizes that being Queen might not be what she wants and finds herself in the clearing with all the holiday doors. But what’s that? A newly uncovered door? Sounds like the adventure we’ve all been waiting for from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Get ready to explore new realms and learn more about Jack and Sally’s world in Long Live the Pumpkin Queen.
I was pleased to see that all the characters matched what we know about them from the movie. To me, this made Long Live the Pumpkin Queen a true sequel. I had such a beautiful feeling of nostalgia while reading it. I think anyone who has ever watched and loved The Nightmare Before Christmas will absolutely adore this read.
Since Sally and Jack both traveled to and spent time in other realms through the clearing with the doors, I think it’s quite likely that more sequels could be had branching out from here, focused on the other realms. I have no idea if this will ever happen, but I’m sure none of us were expecting this novel. Based on Shea Ernshaw’s characterization of Sally, Jack, and the rest, she is the perfect person to entrust with this world.
Long Live the Pumpkin Queen is a quick read and absolutely perfect for reading at this spooky time of year. I wrote it at the top, but I want to reiterate here: this would be a great book for middle-grade readers all the way up to adults who want to return to the world of Halloweentown for a brief all-encompassing nostalgia. A great read for the whole family this spooky season!
Lit&Leta 
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