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

by Laini Taylor

In this new stand alone novella from New York Times bestselling author Laini Taylor comes the story of a funny and fantastical first date. In NIGHT OF CAKE & PUPPETS, Taylor brings to life a night only hinted at in the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy - the magical first date of fan-favorites Zuzana and Mik. Told in alternating perspectives, it's the perfect love story for fans of the series and new readers alike. The novella also contains an extract from the first book in the series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

Petite though she may be, Zuzana is not known for timidity. Her best friend, Karou, calls her 'rabid fairy', her 'voodoo eyes' are said to freeze blood, and even her older brother fears her wrath. But when it comes to the simple matter of talking to Mik, or 'Violin Boy', her courage deserts her. Now, enough is enough. Zuzana is determined to meet him, and she has a fistful of magic and a plan. It's a wonderfully elaborate treasure hunt of a plan that will take Mik all over Prague on a cold winter's night before finally leading him to the treasure: herself!

Violin Boy's not going to know what hit him.

(P)2013 Hodder & Stoughton

• ISBN10: 0316369853
• ISBN13: 9780316369855
• Publish Date: 26 November 2013 (first published 1 January 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 5 Stars


OMGOMGOMGGGG THIS WAS JUST THE ABSOLUTE BEST!!!!!

My loves! I got them back for a novella! Zuzana & Mik... This book was a rabid fairy whimsical DREAM!
I am twirling around in the proverbial snow (with peacock footprints around me! and origami butterflies taking flight! And fireworks igniting in my heart! ) right now.

This was nothing short of brilliant, heartwarming, & hilarious!

I loved seeing more Mik POV, he's absolutely hysterically, whimsically funny & the perfect puzzle piece fit for Zuzana, as she is for him!

And holy crap was this beautiful. Jim Di Bartolo's art is INCREDIBLE & SO totally my aesthetic and so boy, was that a freakin' TREAT! All of the illustrations take on a sort of dark whimsy (think Gaiman-esque)... ANDILOVEIT.

This story was pure perfection. Karou was such a welcome presence, through her texts to Zuze, as well... I missed her!

[leahrosereads]

Such whimsy! Such perfect, err, perfection! This was so completely adorable with a major dash of disturbing (so pretty much a well, perfect book for me). Zuzana and Mik are just the cutest, and I'm so happy I FINALLY read this book! It gave me a deeper glimpse into one of my favorite fictional worlds, and I'm always happy when an author gives us more of their wonderful universes.

10/10 will read again...and again...and again!

[inlibrisveritas]

3.5 Stars

Super cute little fluff romance story about Zusanna and Mik. Not overly important to the storyline, but if you really enjoyed these two characters in the main arc then it's worth checking out. Super sweet and quirky, like the two of them.

[writehollydavis]

Even though this was a novella, Laini packed all her heart and soul into this book, with the same witty lines and whimsical prose found in Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I loved hearing this story from Zuzana and Mik's perspectives. Onto book 2!

[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

Initial Thoughts: A quick, cute story for fans of Zuzana and Mik. I would not recommend it for people who have not read at least Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Publishers need to stop trying to sell books that clearly rely on readers' familiarity with the main series as appropriate for people who haven't ever read that series.

[Stephanie]

Loved reading this again. I adored the art. This book is a treasure in physical form and I am so glad it's not just an e-book anymore.

[Chelsea]

If you love the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series then you'll love this. It still has that sort of whimsical writing style that we all love but this is a short story filled with romance and a hint of magic. I thought it was adorable and a lot of fun to read.
Note: Not all the images were in the ARC but from what was there they looked great and it was a lot of fun reading a story with these pictures!

[empressbrooke]

I loved the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy, but I was surprised by how much more I loved this novella that features two of the trilogy's supporting characters. Laini Taylor's writing and dialogue was so charming that I wished we could have gotten a full length novel from Zuzana's point of view.

[Angie]

Night of Cake and Puppets was so cute that I can't even! Seriously! I always adored Zuzanna, and thought she and Mik were cute together, but this? It goes beyond just cute! In this novella, we get to witness Mik as he follows the treasure map Zuzanna made for him to initiate their first meeting. Those two had been sharing longing glances, but neither had the nerve to talk to the other, but now with the help of a little magic, they are finally coming face to face. It was just so sweet and adorable and magical and I loved it! This story was much needed after the disaster that was the final book (yes, I read that one first), and reminded me why I loved this series so much. It was everything I could ask for in such a short story and more!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[littleread1]

LOVE. I thought I would miss Karou or that Zuzanna would get on my nerves but neither of these things happened. I loved the dual narration, and the mix POV from her to Mick. So adorable.