Second Hand Curses

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.

64 of 65 people found this review helpful

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!

126 of 130 people found this review helpful

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.

22 of 22 people found this review helpful

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.

15 of 15 people found this review helpful

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.

12 of 12 people found this review helpful

Fun Take on the Fairy Tale Concept

First off I would like to say that I am so glad that Scott Aiello, and Mark Vietor voice this story. I greatly enjoy their work and this is no exception. I am unfamiliar with Tavia Gilbert, but she also gave an exceptional performance. A pleasure to Listen to.

That being said without the story to perform there would be no audio book. As usual Drew Hayes prevails, and provides a great fun ride though a fantasy world with unusual and interesting characters. A world where our "heroes" are all to aware that they are at the mercy of the narrative. A fun take on the fairy tale and fantasy genera. If you enjoy Drew Hayes Swords Spells and Stealth series you will want to give this a listen, and if you haven't read it... Go get NPC's right now! (esp. any Roleplayers)

Overall a lot of fun, good pacing and the excitement keeps up. I found myself rooting for the characters at every turn, wondering where the story was taking me and what references I would catch next, and loving it at every turn. Definitely a worth checking out. I hope you enjoy it as well.

10 of 10 people found this review helpful

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.

25 of 27 people found this review helpful

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!

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

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!

15 of 16 people found this review helpful

Awesome!

Very interesting story with great characters in a dangerous world full of fairies tricking (sometime) innocent people. Great and refreshing twist to all of those tales. Outstanding audio performance!

14 of 15 people found this review helpful