Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon, my Darlings. For today’s blog post, I am sharing my review of the third book in the Pumpkin Queen Series, Shadow Over the Pumpkin Queen by Megan Shepherd. I have read each of these books as they came out. And I have also reviewed them here on White Rose of Avalon. Of course, I waited a couple of months to read this third installment, as it was released in Summer and I wanted to read it in Autumn. So that is why I am posting the review in October, plus what better time to review a book that continues The Nightmare Before Christmas story!
I have to say, I truly love reading this series of books. It is sweet and spooky, with a lot of heart, as well as adventure. I mentioned last year in my review of the second book that there was an open-ended nature to the conclusion of the second book that left room for another sequel. Well, clearly I was correct! I have enjoyed each of these books in turn, as they create an atmosphere that makes me feel nostalgic as I revisit Halloweentown and the beloved characters of A Nightmare Before Christmas. Now, let’s look at some of my spoiler-free thoughts on the third book.
Like the previous two books, Sally must save Halloweentown from another threat. This serves to allow for her character development and for her to heal from traumas of her past over time. We also see Jack sidelined for the majority of the plot, while Sally needs to figure out how to save the town, which has been a consistent element in the series. I think that this works wonderfully, as this gives time for Sally to prove her capability not only against adversaries, but to herself! Once again, we get to see new towns, truly expanding the lore of The Nightmare Before Christmas universe. That is much of the fun of reading these books, and it is entertaining to see how things will work out as Sally has to meet challenges. Without giving spoilers, I will say that in this book, we see Sally needing to complete three tasks to save Halloweentown this time around. Along the way, friends made in past books make appearances, and Sally even gets to learn more about her past that had been hidden from her. This book truly serves as a wonderful exploration of Sally’s character, and you can see how much she has evolved over the course of the books and stepped fully into her role as Pumpkin Queen! I also enjoyed the messages of compassion and empathy throughout, which align well with Sally’s desire to protect those that she loves while not hurting others in the process.
The story in this installment really pulled at my heartstrings, in the best way. As someone who grew up with the film and has always loved it, I am glad that we have gotten these three books that show us a continuation of the source material and further develop the world. I also have to say, reading this one felt bittersweet, given that Catherine O’Hara, who voiced Sally, passed away in January of this year. So, it felt very poignant that I could imagine her voice speaking Sally’s lines as I read this time around, now that she is gone.
I think that if you enjoyed the previous books in the series, this one is definitely worth checking out. At the end of the day, I felt that it was such a cozy and fun read, which is all that I really wanted out of the book. Have you read Shadow Over the Pumpkin Queen? Do you want to read it now? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is the book cover. I found the art on https://d23.com/exclusive-cover-reveal-for-shadow-over-the-pumpkin-queen/.
LINK TO AVALONIAN ROSE FAERY MYSTERIES PATREON: patreon.com/AvalonianRoseFaeryMysteries
Further Reading
- Shadow Over the Pumpkin Queen by Megan Shepherd