Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Second Hand Curses  By  cover art

Second Hand Curses

By: Drew Hayes
Narrated by: Scott Aiello,Marc Vietor,Tavia Gilbert
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $29.95

Buy for $29.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

When your fairy godmother threatens to enslave you with a curse - when a malevolent piper solves your rat problem but steals your children - when you seek revenge on the prince who turned you into a frog - who can you turn to in your hour of need? The band of scoundrels known far and wide as the Bastard Champions - the swashbuckling trio who travel a world of legend, seeking adventure and righting wrongs - as long as there's enough gold to be earned. They are Jack, the seemingly unkillable leader whose ever-present grin belies a dark past; Marie, who fights with fury but battles more fiercely to control the beast within; and Frank, the master of logistics, whose cloak hides horrific scars that are far more than skin-deep. As they slash and scheme through kingdom and village alike, the Bastard Champions uncover tantalizing clues to their ultimate quarry: the powerful Blue Fairy, who has made each of their lives a living hell.

Second Hand Curses adds a dash of sly wit and a heaping portion of action to the fairy tales you thought you knew.

©2017 Andrew Hayes (P)2017 Audible Originals, LLC.

Featured Article: Roll for Initiative! 10+ Listens Worthy of Any Dungeons & Dragons Adventurer


With the release of the movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, the classic tabletop role-playing game (RPG) is being thrust into the forefront of culture yet again. D&D has been in our lives for more than 40 years, and millions of folks globally continue to explore new realms. But the franchise is not limited to dice, guidebooks, and miniatures—in addition to film, television, music, and beyond, D&D is a natural fit for the world of audio.

What listeners say about Second Hand Curses

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8,975
  • 4 Stars
    2,703
  • 3 Stars
    765
  • 2 Stars
    183
  • 1 Stars
    101
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9,691
  • 4 Stars
    1,560
  • 3 Stars
    324
  • 2 Stars
    69
  • 1 Stars
    47
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8,071
  • 4 Stars
    2,482
  • 3 Stars
    836
  • 2 Stars
    171
  • 1 Stars
    99

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Second Hand Curses is First Rate Storytelling!

This book is Drew Hayes' telling of the corrupted view of the fairy tale world. It starts out with a bang with the familiar Cinderella story with a huge twist that is interesting, engaging, and funny. Our anti-heroes, Jack, Frank, and Marie, work behind the scenes to get through the Grimmest of messed up stories to fix happily ever after for a price. Like the Swords, Spells, and Sorcery stories, the Super Powered Universe, and the stories of Fred the Vampire Accountant, Drew once again nails the character development that he is best known for. It is fun to follow this story and see all the connections that Drew makes in this genre as well as the surprises that follow.
In all of his previous work, one narrator has told the story with multiple voices. In this one, three narrators perform this more as a readers theater, one for each of our protagonists. One of them, I think it is the guy who plays Jack, also works as the narrator. Following the action is that much easier because of this. The three work together very well, intertwining their narrative in a natural flow. I am especially drawn in by the guy who does the voice of Frank as this is a powerful, calm, meticulous character who could be ruined by the wrong inflections but is done with all the grace and skill this character needs. Please forgive me for not knowing which narrator was which. I am fairly certain that Tavia Gilbert is Marie though.
I love that Drew Hayes is not afraid to go into a bunch of genres and tell stories worth telling. Whether it is super hero, fantasy, supernatural, or now fairy tale, his worlds are complex, the stories are compelling, and the storyteller never takes himself too seriously. This is another fun read - albeit way too short at 9 hours compared to his normal 30+ hour fare. Good thing there is that we will hopefully have the sequel coming soon, maybe Third Times A Curse or something like that. I can't wait!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

188 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic

Three people who call themselves the “Bastard Champions” live in a world of fairy tales, and help those in need - for a price, of course.
Every time I find out Drew Hayes is writing a new story; I feel giddy with anticipation. His books are filled with characters who live in the grey and change over the course of his story. Those are my two favourite parts of any novel, and he does it so well that it’s no wonder I devour everything he writes. The thing that always strikes me though is that they are so entertaining, so filled with adventure and playfulness, that instead of savouring them, I read them in a frenzy, in one sitting until I’m done and have a massive grin on my face. Second Hand Curses is no exception to this rule. This book was such a delight to listen to - all I hope is that it becomes a series so we can continue to follow the characters.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

145 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wow. This made-for-audiobook is awesome

Where does Second Hand Curses rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It would make my top 20 list. That may sound bad but I've listened to a LOT of audiobooks and there are amazing ones out there and a lot of mediocre and a even bad ones. To make my top 20 list means this book is very very good.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Wow. Each of the 3 main characters is awesome in their own unique way it's actually quite hard to pick a favorite. I guess I'd have to go with Frank. I like how he's calm/cool/collected and logical. He's very smart, immune to a lot of magical influence, and he's a big softy when it comes to saving or protecting children. But honestly Jack is awesome and Marie is to.

Which scene was your favorite?

Funniest was when Jack's Mom was telling Marie she should dress up a little better and do her hair better if she wanted to try and win Jack's heart. That was hilarious. But I think overall I liked the scene in the forest, going through the 3 trials. It was cool to see each character handle a different test.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Sometimes you get what you bargain for

Any additional comments?

This book is like a television series. I imagine it's more like those old radio shows before television, where each radio broadcast was an "episode". I love how each chapter is "self contained" but the 3 main characters move from one chapter to the next. It made for a great listen on the way to work or home from work, being able to get the beginning to end of a particular adventure so that all day at work I wasn't left wondering what would happen next. heh. This book is very much like Grimm or Once Upon a Time, a twist on the stories and characters we heard as a kid. I love it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

108 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good but I wish there was a follow up book

Second Hand Curses was an enjoyable book and if it was the first in a series I think it would be a perfect starting place. I have read on Good Reads though that this is a stand alone book. It basically reads as a somewhat comical version of a three member mercenary band traveling throughout a fairy tale world. Even though there is an overarching story it’s more of a collection of short stories with the group solving the problems of classic fairy tales, such as Cinderella, the Frog Prince and The Pied Piper. The most enjoyable part of the book to me was Frank’s background story. The conflict with the fairies and the group was interesting but the book seemed like it was more of a jumping off point into a longer series, I’m disappointed that there will not be further stories in this world.
I really enjoyed the ensemble cast of narrators for this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

43 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Definitely worth a listen if you like Drew Hayes

Interesting retelling of fantasy stories we all grew up hearing. Much more interesting version of them as well. Great performance by the cast, and great for killing time in the car as it’s a greater story composed of different tales, giving you clean sections to turn off the book and pick it up later.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

43 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another fantastic addition to Drew's arsenal

in the few months since I've discovered his works, Drew Hayes has without a doubt surprised me at every corner wrapping me with tails of superheroes, vampire, and magical pears. with each book I read of his I fall more and more in love with the author and his creativity.

with the coming finale of super powereds, this book offers a fantastic opportunity to begin a series a new. taking everyday fairy tales in a magical world and injecting these three scoundrels, I'm surprised I even found an opportunity to take a break. this is of course another must-read for fans of the author or lovers of fairy tales you'll love this unique and creative take.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

38 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Jack the Nimble, Jack the Quick, Jack did what?!

Fairy tale re-imaginings can be quite dull but this one isn't.
I was really impressed by the narrators, all 3 did really excellent.
Definitely worth picking up, Drew Hayes is a great author and as another reviewer pointed out he really rocks at character development. Drew does say the book is a one-off however, don't expect a series! We can dream though!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO BUY THIS BOOK?!?

This was the best audio book I have ever listened to with the added bonus of being a great story, the 3 main characters were each voiced by a different voice actor, all the other characters in the story were easily discernible. This was the first time I've listed to an audio book and wanted to listen to it all over again as soon as I finished. Great story, well thought out characters, cant wait for the next series in this book. In the mean time I'll check out other books from this author.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

36 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Absolutely enjoyable

This is a wonderful story! It was so much fun! I love this author and I love the fact he doesn’t use horrible language in this story! He has an extraordinary imagination! I’d love to see him write more about these characters! Just give it a try, it’s a gem!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

28 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A great point of view from the other side.

I really love this book couldn't put it down. great narration ,top notch storytelling and great character build up.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

26 people found this helpful