Night of Cake & Puppets (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #2.5)

What I Loved:
Yup, there’s no doubt about it. Laini Taylor is the queen of rabid fairies. A fairy goddess. There is so much magic, literal and figurative both, in her stories. This short story, with less than a hundred pages, has more life in it than most fiction. My big issue with these ebook novellas is that they so often seem like the fatty scraps left from a meal that I’m expected to pay for and eat happily. Not so with Night of Cake & Puppets. This is a small dessert, yes, but it’s so rich, luscious and chocolatey that the price is so completely worth it.Night of Cake & Puppets is sweet, indulgent, and perfect.


Zuzana and MIk are the means by which light and happiness are brought to the Daughter of Smoke & Bone series. Aside from them, pretty much everything is dark and unhappy and feels-crushing. They serve an important role. Karou may be hope for the world’s survival, but Mik and Karou are hope for the existence of real, true, fairy tale love. Of course, that makes them sound incredibly cheesy and like the kind of couple I cannot stand. This dessert is not made of cheese, okay? It’s not cheesecake; it’s rich chocolate cake.

The story told in Night of Cake & Puppets is referenced in the actual series and my but it needed to be told. Also, Laini Taylor, shocking no one, can write dual first person POVs that sounds perfectly unique and one hundred percent like the characters. Writing goddess people, I am serious about this. The writing in the novella is every bit as strong as that in the novels themselves. I wish I could just paste the whole thing in my favorite quotes section, but I doubt the publisher would be thrilled with that. Were I to highlight every line that was meaningful to me, hilarious, or perfectly phrased, I would have highlighted 75% of the story at least.

Getting a look into Zuzana’s head is completely amazing. Zuzana has been my favorite all along of course, and I’ve always shipped her with Mik, but my love is at new heights now. See, Zuzana is this intense little person, full of snark and daring. What we don’t see as much of in the series is her nerves and self-consciousness. She doubts herself the same way we all do. In fact, her treasure hunt to herself was a plan born of her fear of talking to him. It’s so damn cute and I want to hug her. Also, her comments on feelings and children basically feel like they were taken from inside my head.

If I ever had any doubts about how perfect Mik and Zuzana are for one another, this would have laid them to rest. Though I didn’t have doubts. Still. Zuzana’s scavenger hunt is ridiculous and Mik not only goes along with it but loves every moment. He’s thoughtful and totally willing to jump through hoops for Zuzana. He enjoys the challenge and the silly. Then there’s their conversation once they meet: the banter, the random, the awkward, the swoon. PERFECTION, I SAY.

The Final Verdict:
Laini Taylor writes both fluff and misery perfectly. Seriously, goddess. I am building my altar now. Also, I think Night of Cake & Puppets is my favorite part of the series. Dear publisher, please make a print version, so that I can hold it and hug it and pet it.