Books like 'Second Hand Curses'
Readers who enjoyed Second Hand Curses by Drew Hayes also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
fantasy action / adventure comedy monsters/creatures high fantasy dark-fantasy mystery supernatural humor magic
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Once Upon the End by James Riley
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWill there be happily ever after? Don’t miss the fractured-fairy tale conclusion to the action-packed and humor-filled Half Upon a Time trilogy!Jack and May have gone their separate ways, and each is now set on course to fulfill their destiny…or are they?Nothing is ever quite as it seems in the world of fairy tales, and the two friends are in for some huge surprises as they prepare to battle the... -
He Who Fights with Monsters by Shirtaloon
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsJason wakes up in a mysterious world of magic and monsters.It’s not easy making the career jump from office-supplies-store middle manager to heroic interdimensional adventurer. At least, Jason tries to be heroic, but it's hard to be good when all your powers are evil.He’ll face off against cannibals, cultists, wizards, monsters...and that’s just on the first day... -
Mimic & Me 2 by Cassius Lange, Ryan Tang
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsI’ve escaped from a nest of backbiting nobles…only to fall into a whole city of them!The Baron Sherazad sent me as far away from Eslant as possible. Now I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere, in a nest full of enemies, with only a demented mimic and a renegade elf to watch my back.Arrdeam’s rulers are determined to keep their civilians weak and under control, but that won’t work for me... -
Webs & Wards by Benjamin Medrano
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsJoy can’t get a break. Having survived a chance encounter with a demon lordling, and made an immense sacrifice, one might expect Joy to at least have some time to rest and recover. Instead, when Joy’s friends learn what she sacrificed, they decide they’ll repay her, no matter what it takes, and they take the adventurous bee-girl on a quest to find another apis hive which can help her... -
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Hives & Heroism by Benjamin Medrano
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsDemons loom over Dorma.Despite Joy’s victory over Alethus’s servants, his plans haven’t been stopped. Even so, a glimmer of hope lies before her, and she and her friends are determined to grasp it.That doesn’t mean it will be easy, though. An army is invading Dorma, one with the same destination as Joy. Their goals are sinister, but they aren’t going to stop Joy and her friends... -
The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle by Christopher Healy
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsPrince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You remember them, don't you? They're the Princes Charming, who finally got some credit after they stepped out of the shadows of their princesses—Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White, and Briar Rose—to defeat an evil witch bent on destroying all their kingdoms. But alas, such fame and recognition only last so long... -
The Golden Basilisk by Marie Andreas
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA long-lost elven kingdom, body-swapping ghosts, walking weapons of mass destruction... Archaeologist and part-time bounty hunter Taryn St. Giles has had a Very. Bad. Year. Ever since she and her trio of singing, drunken faeries started digging into the mysteries of a certain handsome elven lord, she's been up to her nose in explosions, slavering monsters, and assorted other dangers... -
That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsAnyone else ever thrown a drink at someone's head, only to miss entirely and hit a stranger behind them? Then have that stranger fall madly in love with you because it turned out that drink you threw was a love potion? No, just me? Well damn.Dealing with a pirate ship full of demons that just moved into town was hard enough...Categorized as:
humor magic paranormal shapeshifters supernatural witches-wizards action-adventure adult -
The Sapphire Manticore by Marie Andreas
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMurderous magic, vanished races, killer relics, and drunken faeries--who knew the end of the world would look like this? The story that began in The Glass Gargoyle, The Obsidian Chimera, and The Emerald Dragon continues...Taryn St. Giles thought she knew all about elves... -
I Went on an Adventure and All I Got Was This Barbarian Orc by Jennifer Cody
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsBerklak:Being a half-orc is fun most of the time. Most people think I’m all orc, and that usually slicks things up so I can glide in and out of town without much fuss. Most of the time things go really smoothly for me... -
The Chosen One by Tevagah
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsQube was designed to die...As the cheerful childhood NPC companion who helps the [Player] learn the world during the start of the game, it was only natural that the big bad would kill her at the end of the tutorial, kick-starting the [Player] on a quest for vengeance.The only thing is, no one told her that...And this particular [Player] doesn’t like to play by the rules... -
Vigor Mortis: Book 2 by Natalie Maher
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAs Vita's humanity slowly drips away, monsters fallen from an island above spread throughout her home. While she fights fellow horrors outside the city's walls, her family suffers threats from within them. Yet surely, there's no problem enough power can't solve... and if there's one thing eating souls is good for, it's power... -
Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsWhen the witch built the forty-flight tower, she made very sure to do the whole thing properly. Each flight contains a dreadful monster, ranging from a diamond-scaled dragon to a pack of slavering goblins. Should a prince battle his way to the top, he will be rewarded with a golden sword—and the lovely Princess Floralinda... -
Sting & Song by Benjamin Medrano
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsWhat happens when the god of chaos wins a divine poker game? Bee-girls. The life of a giant bee is a simple one. The life of a giant bee when her queen turns the entire hive into human-like apis to fend off an attack? That’s a good deal more complicated. Getting down from a 50-foot giant rose without wings, while surviving the attacks of malevolent wasps is just a start... -
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Goblin Tales by Jim C. Hines
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA vengeful ghost trapped in a goblin's ear ... a flaming spider who must help stop a goddess from conquering a science fiction convention ... a goblin nursery worker who finds herself trapped in the middle of a war. This collection features five humorous short stories that explore the fantasy realm from the perspective of the lowest of the low, the unlikeliest of unheroes: the goblins... -
Elemental Summoner #1 by D. Levesque
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAlex was living the life. His life. He worked as a convenience store clerk to pay for his games and books. At 26 years old, he was living the high life of a loner. But a bullet hole in the head ended all that. There was only one problem: he wasn’t supposed to die that day. Everyone has a time and a day that they are meant to die. That was not supposed to be Alex’s day. So God gave him a choice... -
After the Rabbit by Nelson Chereta
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWaldo Rabbit is back. He and his two companions are on their way to Norwich in search of Waldo’s third and final familiar. Meanwhile, they are being pursued by Waldo’s grandfather, the archlich, as well as by Melissa the White Mage. Waldo is both the hunter and the hunted. Can he find his last familiar before his enemies can find him? It looks like everyone is after the rabbit... -
Another Fine Myth by Robert Lynn Asprin
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsSkeeve was a magician's apprentice--until an assassin struck and his master was killed. Now, with a purple-tongued demon named Aahz as a companion, he's on a quest to get even... -
The Prophecy Con by Patrick Weekes
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsBook Two in the Rogues of the Republic series.Who would have thought a book of naughty poems by elves could mean the difference between war and peace? But if stealing the precious volume will keep the Republic and the Empire from tearing out each other's throats, rogue soldier Isafesira de Lochenville - "Loch" to friends and foes alike - is willing to do the dishonest honors... -
Goblin War by Jim C. Hines
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIf you think it’s hard being a hobgoblin or a human, try living a goblin’s life for a while. In fact, try imagining what it’s like to be the runtiest goblin in the caves, the lone worshiper of a god who’s been forgotten for a good reason, and the target everyone points to at the first hint of trouble... -
The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsPrince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You’ve never heard of them, have you? These are the princes who saved Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel, respectively, and yet, thanks to those lousy bards who wrote the tales, you likely know them only as Prince Charming. But all of this is about to change... -
The Rabbit Great and Terrible by Nelson Chereta, Gary Furlong
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTorikai is the Golden City, the City of Ruin and Fortune, and a place where you can find almost anything... for the right price. Waldo and company arrive looking for information. What they find is a suspicious mage guild, a delusional queen, an entire city awash in greed and deception, and an old acquaintance who is VERY happy to see him again... -
Rabbit the Barbarian by Nelson Chereta
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAt last! Waldo, Alice, and Gronk have arrived at World's End and located a dragon! What once seemed absolutely impossible is now nearly within reach. With determination to get either a dragon's egg or a dragon Waldo sets out. He is soon face to face with the red dragon Luna and she is... not quite what he expected... -
Goblin Quest by Jim C. Hines
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsJig is a scrawny little nearsighted goblin-a runt even among his puny species. Captured by a party of adventurers searching for a magical artifact, and forced to guide them, Jig encounters every peril ever faced on a fantasy quest... -
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The Rabbit Who Lived by Nelson Chereta
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWaldo's on the run again. He escapes Melissa's grasp but is marked by her Death Seal. What is there to do but keep going forward! Follow Waldo, Alice, and Gronk as they deal with spies, smugglers, and giant monsters. Meanwhile, Melissa has problems of her own back in Torikai. While in the land of Dark Mages Lilith begins putting her plans into action... -
Goblin Hero by Jim C. Hines
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsAfter barely surviving an adventure he never wanted, the scrawny little nearsighted goblin called Jig is now known as Jig Dragonslayer, and has the power of healing, thanks to the forgotten god he worships. But being a hero isn't all it's cracked up to be. Not when the goblin leader wants him dead, and everyone else actually expects him to keep doing heroic-and incredibly dangerous-things... -
The Diamond Sphinx by Marie Andreas
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFor the past year, Taryn St. Giles, her friends, and her three drunken faeries have been trying to solve the mystery of what happened to the Ancients who vanished over 2,500 years ago, as well as gather the nasty little relics that lead to the disappearance. They now just have to gather the final piece, the diamond sphinx, destroy it, and Taryn can get back to her old life... -
Castle for Rent by John DeChancie
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsOnce upon a time, the king of a mysterious castle found himself out of place. The odd thing was that the time was the future and the place was New York City! Castle Perilous had been a universe unto itself until it started living up to its name. Now it is a gateway to thousands of universes, each increasingly bizarre and more bewildering... -
Castle Perilous by John DeChancie
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsImagine life in an ironically magical world where 144,000 doors separate fiction from reality. A place that can hypnotize even the most grounded philosophy major and deliver a fantastical rhyme to his reason. A place where a best buddy resembles a shaggy carpet, and adventures surpass a boy's dreams? welcome to Castle Perilous... -
The Source of Magic by Piers Anthony
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsOrdered by King Trent to determine the source of Xanth's magic, Bink and his companions were harried by an unseen enemy determined to thwart them. When even their protector turned against them, Bink still managed to reach his goal and carry out the King's orders.. -
Something M.Y.T.H. Inc. by Robert Lynn Asprin
Rated: 3.85 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsRevolution is in the air. The king's court sorcerer is being eyed with suspicion. Not for dabbling in the black arts...not for consorting with a demon...not for having a dragon as a pet...not even for being mobbed up. But for the greatest crime of all: raising taxes.Who is this terrible tyrant? None other than Skeeve the Great.Oh, how the mighty have fallen.. -
Roc and a Hard Place by Piers Anthony
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsSeeking a solution to a perplexing personal problem, the delectable Demoness Metria asks for help from the wise Magician Humfrey. But before he will help her, she must perform a perilous mission: Rove the length and breadth of Xanth in search of a suitable jury for the trial of Roxanne Roc--a notably noble and virtuous bird charged with a most improbable offense... -
Question Quest by Piers Anthony
Rated: 3.73 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsYouth is Wasted on the Young Being grown up is a drag . . . or so thinks Lacuna, one of the mischievous Castle Zombie twins. So she makes the Good Magician Grey an offer he can't refuse. Thirsty for a taste of the Elixir of Youth, she'll help him outwit the evil Com-Pewter if he'll send her to Hell (in a handbasket, no less) to find Humfrey, the missing sorcerer... -
A Difficulty with Dwarves by Craig Shaw Gardner
Rated: 3.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen a wizard is unable to cure his malady of magicks, he sends his apprentice Wuntnor to seek aid in the distant land of the Eastern Kingdoms which are ripe with fiendish peril... -
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Isle of View by Piers Anthony
Rated: 3.70 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsLovelornLoveworn Love LostPerplexed Prince Dolph, Xanth's precocious shapeshifter, should be in love but isn't. Nonetheless, he must choose between two fiancees--Nada the uninterested and Electra the uninteresting--or all three of them will suffer the most dire consequences...Categorized as:
epic humor magic paranormal supernatural action-adventure anthropomorphism audiobook -
The Color of Her Panties by Piers Anthony
Rated: 3.69 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsWe See England, We See Xanth, We See Mels's Underpanth. In fact, Gwenny Goblin, Che Centaur and Jenny Elf are just about the only creatures on Xanth who have been spared the sight of Mela Merwoman's undergarment -- preoccupied as they are with helping Gwenny beat out her awful half-brother Gobble for chiefship of the goblin horde. But first they must master space and thyme . . -
A Malady of Magicks by Craig Shaw Gardner
Rated: 3.56 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhen the wizard-killing demon Guxx Unfufadoo fails at ridding the Netherhells of the great Ebenezum, he instead curses the wizard, making Ebenezum allergic to magic. Ebenezum and his hapless apprentice Wuntvor must journey to the City of Forbidden Delights to seek a cure--and avoid such perils as tap-dancing dragons, enchanted chickens, and sinister shrubbery... -
Heaven Cent by Piers Anthony
Rated: 3.66 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsIn the mind of Xanth's precious shapeshifting Prince Dolph, the perfect way to see the world is to search for the missing sorcerer, Humfrey... -
Vale of the Vole by Piers Anthony
Rated: 3.62 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsWhen Esk, a young ogre-nymph-human, began his pilgrimage to the Good Magician Humfrey to rid himself of a seductive demoness, little did he know it would become a mission of mercy. A running river paradise and its harmless inhabitants were perishing in the wrathful wake of a greedy demon horde...
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