by: Sophie Kim
Genre: Fantasy Sports Romance
Release Date: June 30, 2026
Publisher: Del Rey
Fantasy meets sports romance in this sizzling slow-burn novel from the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The God and the Gumiho, in which the disgraced star of a brutal magical sport must team up with the rival who destroyed her career.
Carriwitchet, the violent, rugby-esque game played atop winged beasts, was once Taissa Cho’s whole life, and she was once the United Kingdom’s most promising player. Until her nemesis, rival player Kion Locke, destroyed her career in a single moment. Expelled from the sport in disgrace, Taissa has spent the last two years dreaming of nothing but revenge and relishing watching Kion’s team plummet to the bottom of the league.
So when Taissa is offered the chance to redeem herself and her career, she can’t refuse—even if the offer is coming from the very man who ruined everything in the first place. It’s close to a dream come true . . . except for that pesky clause in her contract that demands she and Kion enter a fake relationship in order to garner some much-needed positive PR for the team. This could not be a worse match. Taissa and Kion only have two things in their love of the game, and their undying hatred for each other.
Yet as a mysterious illness befalls the winged creatures of the entire league—putting both the beasts’ lives and the very sport itself at stake—the athletes find themselves partnering up in other ways, determined to crack the case of the eerie sickness. As their investigation takes them on a whirlwind adventure, Kion and Taissa are prepared for anything . . .
Anything, that is, but their fake-for-the-cameras relationship to maybe, just maybe, become something real after all.
Kion Locke and Taissa Cho are the top two Carriwitchet players in the league, playing for rival teams. Their dislike of each other plays out on and off the field, until Taissa is kicked out of the sport in disgrace. Two years later, Taissa continues to spiral and has become the persona of a grumpy old man screaming, "Get off my lawn" to the neighbor kid. Kion and his team, the NCL Pinion-upon-Keat Stymphs, have fallen from first/second place in the major league to almost last place in the minor league, with no rhyme or reason as to why. Desperate to restore his team to its former greatness, Kion recruits Taissa. While Taissa hates the ground Kion walks on, she knows this is her one chance to get back to and play in the sport that she loves more than anything.
Once word gets out that the two are spotted together, the Stymphs’ PR team concocts a story that the couple is in a relationship to bring publicity and, hopefully, sponsorship back to the team. In the midst of trying to make a comeback, the Stymphs and the rest of the league become sidelined when all of the animals are hit with a mysterious illness. When the authorities seem to be moving too slowly and not coming up with any concrete answers, Taissa, Kion, and their Stymph teammates (à la Scooby and the Gang) take it upon themselves to go looking for answers.
The Winged Game was my first Sophie Kim read. I have to say, it was a very challenging read. For a little over half of the book, Taissa was a hard character to like. She had a huge chip on her shoulder and seemed to blame everyone but herself for her actions. It wasn’t until she truly opened up that she became understandable and likable. Kion was someone I immediately liked. He has his own secrets, which lead him to cling desperately to those he cares about. These two have a slow-burn, steamy romance, which shows that they can be playful with each other. I loved the friendships and found family created amongst the Stymphs. Their winged animals provided a lot of humor to their witch counterparts. What I loved more than anything about The Winged Game was the mystery aspect of the story. I thought it was well-written and thought out. It definitely had me guessing up until the reveal.
Even though I struggled with the book, I will definitely give Sophie Kim another try.
**Received a copy of the book from the publisher and voluntarily reviewed it.**
Rating: 3.5
Purchase The Winged Game from:
(Affiliate Links Used)
Places to find Sophie Kim:
No comments:
Post a Comment
STOP!
Comments that include links to other sites, or names including links WILL BE CONSIDERED SPAM AND DELETED.