Back of Book: 

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—albeit gilded—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? 

Book Number: One 

Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy | Retelling | Horror | Romance

Review: 🌟🌟

Sally's story is brought to life in this reimaging of Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas," which gives her more personality and more backstory than ever before. 

Sally has just married the love of her life, Jack Skellington, and has officially been appointed the Pumpkin Queen of Halloween Town. Upon marrying Jack, Sally is thrust into a spotlight that she never wanted. It turns out that when one marries a king, it is hard to stick to the shadows that she knows and loves so well. Overwhelmed by all the expectations, Sally flees Halloween Town looking for a break. Her respite takes an unexpected turn when she accidently unleashes a dangerous force onto her beloved subjects. Now she must do everything in her power to save her people before it's too late. 

This is the definition of a book that I would never pick out for myself to read. I've never been a huge fan of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and Sally has always creeped me out, so it's no surprise that this book wasn't high on my bucket list. I found myself reading it now because I allowed some of my best friends to pick out books for me. Unsurprisingly, I found myself quite alienated by this book for several reasons, but I was holding out hope that maybe the writing would be spectacular, or the plot would be super engaging. Sadly, neither was the case. 

Disney books are always interesting because they depend greatly on already knowing and loving the characters. In the past, I haven't liked Sally and it has been years since I've watched the original movie, so I found myself constantly having to think real hard to figure out what this book was talking about. This certainly alienated me and constantly took me out of the reading experience, which didn't do this book any favors.

On top of that, the writing was quite simple and though it was super creepy at times, the word choice was overall weak. I found the writing style to be plain and boring, which had me drifting away consistently and having to reread certain sections to catch up on what I had missed. 

Lastly, the plot was predictable, cliche, and yet hard to believe at times. Also, a huge portion of this book features Sally traveling through the realms, which made for a real lackluster book. In the midst of all this traveling, Sally finds herself in Dream Town. While there, she learns many hard truths that I found hard to accept. I don't remember "The Nightmare Before Christmas" lore all that well, but this entire scenario just seemed super unlikely. And come on, I knew who the mysterious sand creature was from the first mention, which took away most of this book's urgency. 

Overall, "Long Live the Pumpkin King" is probably a decent book, but I am definitely not the target audience. Not only am I not a fan of Sally and "The Nightmare Before Christmas," but I've had a hard time suspending my belief when it comes to the scenarios that are presented in Disney books. I am a stickler on it following Disney's canon, and this book just didn't seem to do that very well with my limited knowledge of the movie. Beyond that, the writing was pretty blah, the plot was predictable, and the travel scenes were all really repetitive. I'm definitely going to try out more of Ernshaw's books in the future as well as more Disney books, but this one didn't do much for me. 

Back of Book: 

One year has passed since Sally wed her beloved Jack Skellington and stepped into her role as queen of Halloween Town. Even with her Jack at her side, though, being a ruler isn’t easy, and Sally feels uncertain of her future. Her seams are stretched thin with her royal duties, her newfound family in Dream Town, and a desire to bring citizens from across the Hinterlands together.

Then a simple potion demonstration at Sally’s inaugural Halloween exhibition goes horribly wrong, and things unravel fast: Sally and her new rag doll apprentice, Luna, fall through a mysterious portal, landing in a new realm called Time Town. They discover that someone has tampered with the clock that controls Halloween Town, and Sally cannot return to the present-day version of her home unless she finds the culprit and resets time.

Sally and Luna embark on a journey to unmask the truth, encountering more towns, friends, and foes along the way. But time is ticking, and as Sally fights to save Jack and her hometown, she wonders what kind of future she really wants—and what she must sacrifice to get it. 

Book Number: Two

Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy | Retelling | Horror | Romance

Review: ?