What an insanely charming book! This book had everything I was looking for-humor, heart, unique monsters, and incredibly lovable characters (the amazing illustrations were an awesome bonus.) Thisby and the Black Mountain is an instant new favorite of mine. I will definitely be reading the sequel when it comes out!

Four, Count 'Em Four, Great Books in OneThis is a buddy-comedy-fantasy-adventure featuring two very appealing heroines. It has suspense, action, humor, careful plotting, magic, imaginative world building, and great atmosphere. Here's the overall setup. The evil castle run by the vaguely evil magical master sits on top of the mountain, which sits on top of a vast dungeon filled with all sorts of monsters and dangerous creatures. That all sits on top of the Dark Deep, where truly evil, (like mythi...

It was a fun read, but it does get a little dark.

PlotThisby Thestoop was left in front of the Black Mountain Dungeon and taken in. She works as the gamekeeper in the dungeon, taking meticulous notes on the monsters' habits and eating preferences, and mapping out the dungeon as she goes. There is one place she is afraid of, however, and that's where her adventure is going to take her and the Princess Iphigenia. The princess and her twin brother entered the castle to see the dungeon monsters, but when the prince is abducted, Thisby steps in to r...

This is a story of Thisby Thestoop who was left on The Black Mountain doors by her parents. They didn't really give her a name just a note that said "This by the stoop". So when she was found everyone just called her Thisby. Thisby grow up learning to the the gamekeeper of the Black Mountain by watching over all the creatures. One day the royal family of the kingdom visits and things are turned upside down. A gate lost the seal of magic that kept some of the evil dark creatures in the Deep Down....

This fast-paced, action-packed fantasy novel for ages 8-12 follows in the footsteps of many a tongue-in-cheek precedent. Set in a gruesome dungeon filled with monsters and starring a practical, mousy girl raised by goblins, Thisby Thestoop is a fresh and well-written take on the genre that comes bearing an enormous backpack, lots of notes, a sentient blob of slime, and plenty of horse meat to spare.Thisby Thestoop takes her name from a note left with her when she is abandoned near the opening to...

The best part of Thisby is that she didn’t change. She didn’t get a makeover or leave the dungeon. Instead, she admitted she loved her life as an overworked gamekeeper of the monsters in the Black Mountain. She saved the day because she read, observed and took notes. She was brave and true and a heroine that I want more of!!This book is scary. There is murder and darkness and horrible deaths. Yet there was a sweetness in the story telling and a friendship between a slime ball and a gamekeeper th...

Okay, I’m gonna keep this short. This was a good book that I do recommend, but the last third of the book was disappointing. The pros are that Thisby is a fantastic character (even if she’s a little too mature for a 12 year old) and Iphigenia’s character development is worth the read. The monsters and the world were interesting, horrifying, and fun to learn about. Secondary characters really shine here and the humor is good in parts. The cons, as I mentioned above, take place in the final third

Thisby is a gamekeeper who cares for the demons of the black mountain. Her job is to make sure they don’t kill each other...or any humans who come looking for the treasure of the dungeons. This job is no easy task when you are dealing with blood thirsty monsters!👹I LOVED this book! It was a wild and hilarious adventure with monstrous battles, royal pains in the bum, and the sweetest revenge!⚠️ Warning, this book was pretty scary at times and included some blood and gore. Also beware of the detai...

This was such a fun book, on so many levels.  The illustrations were amazing, Thisby was a wonderful character, and Gorman certainly knows how to create well-rounded characters.  I'm still pretty new when it comes to the fantasy genre, but this was something that I hadn't seen as often--where a young girl must traverse the ghastly and the ghoulish, stumble through cages, and help protect the princess all the while making sure neither of them die.  And of course, who could forget Thisby's slime f...

I loved this right after I finished the prologue. The novel follows a young dungeon keeper by the name of Thisby Thestoop, who by accident becomes a part of the staff due to a hungry minotaur’s poor penmanship. She becomes “Game Keeper” of the dungeon and ensures it is deadly and well stocked with monsters to guard its treasures. This book is in my vote for one of the best fantasy novels of 2018. It does numerous things wonderfully.The setting of Thisby Thestoop is an intriguing one I haven’t se...

From the moment I saw this cover, I knew I was going to like it. A cute, awesome art style with neat illustrations, oh yeah. Girl in a dungeon taking care of a whole bunch of different beasties, that makes it even better. I love how the premise is basically, you know all those dungeons heroes and adventurers go through in stories? Here's a story about the girl who takes care of all the monsters in them. It's a great adventure full of imaginative creatures.While a lot of plot elements seem famili...

My name is Thisby, and I'm the gamekeeper for creatures living under Castle Grimstone. I've been caring for the monsters all of my life, and I'm the only one who shows them respect. People fear the beasts, but even the monsters fear what's in the Deep Down. Nothing is supposed to be able to pass through the Darkwell, but what if that's wrong? Princess Iphigenia arrived for a tour of the dungeons, but now her twin brother has disappeared. Now, the princess and I are trekking through the far reach...

Thisby and Iphigenia couldn't be more different. Iphigenia is the crown princess, raised in the lap of luxury and used to getting her way. She walks with grace and stands tall and poised, confident in her power and beauty. Thisby is an orphan, raised in the Black Mountain. As the gamekeeper she spends most of her days covered in grime, trudging through tunnels and feeding monsters, narrowly avoiding becoming dinner herself. She walks hunched over carrying a huge backpack and her nose looks like

NICOLE'S REVIEW: This little book charmed me to my core. A bit of mystery and a bit of fantasy led by two delightful female characters makes for a fun, whimsical, and at times heart-pounding adventure through a dungeon packed with monsters of every kind. But none of them prove to be a problem for Thisby, who tackles all of her problems with Hermione-leveled preparedness. It was so fun to watch her handle every situation that came her way equipped with nothing more than extreme competence and att...

I received this through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thisby Thestoop is the lowly game keeper of Black Mountain. Even though she knows the most about this dungeon and the creatures in it, she still works for a jerky boss and an absent supervisor. Thisby has lived and worked in Black Mountain ever since she can remember. Her only friend is an animated slime creature. The monsters in the dungeon become threatened by more terrible monsters below it when the prince and princess from t...

This book was recommended by my friend AJ, as a story that kind of flips the normal dungeon delving tale. It's about a girl that is the gamekeeper for the dungeon. She's survived by observing and recording the behaviors of the monsters in the dungeon and learns to care for them and keep them in order.Being a middle age book I thought it would be a fun, cute story that was a light quick read. Man, it ended up being so much more than that. It's just so stuffed full of great adult themes like learn...

A young girl named Thisby Thestoop is the gamekeeper for the dark dungeons of Black Mountain, which is sought after by adventurers from all over the world and contains some of the most dangerous creatures in the kingdom of Nth. Despite the dangers, Thisby loves her job until a tour for a couple of royal twins threatens to unleash an ancient evil that has been living at the bottom of the dungeon for thousands of years.This was a cute book, but a little too simplistic and juvenile for me. It kind

I had so so SO much fun with this book! The gallery of monsters and the cast were interesting and memorable. Two girls, so different in background, adventure through a mountain full of monsters to save a prince. What I love most about this book is the fact that Thisby didn’t need some kind of oversized sword(which don’t get me wrong, I love an oversized sword) to face the obstacles throughout the story. She used her wits, her hard-earned notes on everything having to do with any creature or loca...