The Winged Game

by Sophie Kim

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.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Sports, Sports Romance, Adult, Fantasy Romance

528 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2026

About the author

Sophie Kim is the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of stories that feature mythology, monsters, mystery, and magic. Her critically acclaimed work includes young adult novels such as the Talons series, as well as books on the adult spectrum such as The God and the Gumiho.

Profile illustration by @warickaart.

Reviews

[Ali Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loveddd so many things about this book!! First of all, its fantasy, romance, mystery, AND its a standalone!!!! Literally all of my favorite genres plus no commitment to starting a long series!! My dream ❤️
I also really loved the characters. Our two main characters were fun and complex and had great banter. PLUS we get so many great side characters and a very found family feel with the sports team..... speaking of sports team, did I mention it's also a (magical) sports romance, rivals to lovers, and fake dating ???? Literally SAY LESS, such an elite combo of tropes, genres, plot, etc.
The only reason I didn't rate it higher is I felt a little meh on the final reveal with the mystery. It just felt a bit random to me, but other than that, LOVED this book sm.

[Kaila.Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25-4.5 ish??

I’m embarrassed to say I don’t know if I could explain how to play Carriwitchet.

The characters are SO likeable!!!!!!!! and this book is hilarious, the banter and interactions had me kicking my feet…. it’s like a nice warm hug.

If you loved the quidditch scenes in HP this will be right up your alley.

[Ricarda · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know, I would never read a regular sports romance. Neither the sports nor the romance part aligns with my personal taste in genres. But if you add fantasy into the mix then I am all in apparently. After really liking The God and the Gumiho and its sequel I was down for whatever Sophie Kim comes up with next, but I didn't expect to end up loving her new release as much as I did. It's all about this magical sport called carriwitchet that's played up in the air on a whole variety of winged creatures. The players have to steal jewels out of the other team's tower, and they also fight each other with weapons so that doesn't happen. It sounds kind of silly when I describe it like that, but the way the book was set up made the sport feel super tense. We immediately get introduced to the rivalry between the players Taissa Cho and Kion Locke who play on different teams and despise each other. And not in the we-misunderstood-each-other-slightly-once way but in the we-ruined-each-other's-life way. Kion is even the reason Taissa was banned from the sport. Now she is an ex-famous, people-hating, crocheting witch who is selling dirty magazines to old perverts and gets called a cheater every day. But Kion is only barely doing better himself. His team plummeted out of the major league all the way down onto the last place of the minor league and his career seems to be as good as over. He really is in need of a star player nobody else would hire and so we get Kion begging on his knees and saying please (literally) in front of the person he hates most. And of course Taissa and Kion also have to fake-date for some good press … well, let's say for just any press that isn't slandering the team's athletic abilities. There were so many ways that this book could have been cheesy and tropey, but the story was remarkably well done in my opinion. It's not "just" a romance. It's a super character focused story that takes plenty of time to first explore Taissa and Kion as individuals before they are ever put in a romantic relationship with each other. At the beginning there was so much believable tension and obsession between them and later I really rooted for their relationship. Their dynamic changes slowly as they learn more about each other, but they also always keep their snark. The side characters were well developed too, in so much as there were nine main players in the team and I thought all of them to be interesting. And by that I mean that I will riot if we will not get a Knox x Orion book about Icelandic elf gangs. I really would love to see more books in this world as Sophie Kim clearly put a lot of thought into it. She explored so many different things in here. From the awesome Celtic mythology and folklore background of it all to the concept of hidden cities to the deep bond between the winged creatures and their riders to the downsides of a sports career. I was reading with great interest the entire time. It was often humorous, but never silly and heavier themes were always handled with the right amount of seriousness. The world was interesting, the characters deep. Even the winged creatures had their own stories and personalities. I'm a big fan of Chronus by the way, a huge cranky bird named after his child-eating tendencies. Just lovely. I have to admit that some of the twists really were predictable and that everything resolved super easily in the end. But I had such a great time with the rest of the book that I didn't really care about that. I do pretend that the epilogue just doesn't exist though, because that simply was too much and I think everybody knows it. But anyway. I am super thrilled to see what's coming next from Sophie Kim and I can only recommend this as a great urban fantasy read.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

----------------

Pre-read: Honestly pretty thrilled about a fantasy x sports romance mix by Sophie Kim.

[Laura Greenhalgh · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ Yes to more standalones! This was entertaining, I liked the idea of a sports romance but making it fantasy. Witches, warlocks and winged creatures, this was fast paced and fun with a healthy dose of rivalry.

[Lynette Noni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of heart and humour, this is a delightfully fresh addition to the adult fantasy genre. The plot is clever and creative, the worldbuilding is brilliantly immersive, and the romance is utterly swoon-worthy. I loved everything about this book!

[dak 𓅇 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 🌟 “𝘼𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙮.”

𑣲⋆ 𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒸𝓁𝓊𝒷 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔 ⋆☕︎ ˖ 𝚓𝚞𝚕𝚢 ⋆ 𖡼.𖤣𖥧 ⋆˚𓆉

rivals to lovers, sports romantasy standalone, + kick your feet banter 🤏🏻🙂‍↕️

we follow Taissa Cho who has been banned from playing Carriwitchet in the NCL for the past 2 years. and the man responsible? her biggest rival Kion Locke

now what is Carriwitchet you may ask? well it’s a magical game played on the backs of various creatures. each team actually has a dedicated creature they all ride and bond with.

lets take a moment for the humor. this had me cracking up from the first chapter opening paragraph.

“𝘒𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘓𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘈𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘈 𝘫𝘢𝘸-𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺, 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘹 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘴.” 🤣🤣 like ???

and honestly the humor throughout the whole book was absolutely 10/10. i love me some UK accents and jokes 🤭

i really enjoyed the plot and the world in this. it’s basically a romcom set in an urban fantasy setting with a tad bit mystery.

the romance was too good. so much tension 🤭😜 any and every time Kion called Taissa sweetheart i fell to my knees!!!!

big shout to our winged creatures,
🦅Cronus
🐉Sansa
by babies 💖😚

that epilogue was very satisfying and warmed my heart 💟✨

[rosie (jason todd's version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

ʚɞ the winged game by sophie kim ⋆.˚

⋆.˚ 7/3/26— 10/5/26

⊱ ۫ ׅ book no. 60 of 2026 ── .✦

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

𑣲 ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ɪᴍᴘʀᴇꜱꜱɪᴏɴꜱ/ᴘʀᴇ-ʀᴇᴀᴅ:

thank you so much to netgalley and del rey publishing for the e-ARC of this! i've been keeping an eye on this one for AGES, and i'm so excited to dive in 🤭

the winged game releases on 30th June, 2026! <3

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

╰› (⭐4.5)

❝ antagonising you is a very special privilege reserved for yours truly. ❞

⋆.˚ ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:

this was absolutely STELLAR.

the moment i heard "sports romantasy", i was SAT. and that was an incredible decision on my part (i'm so humble).

let me just start off by talking about the WORLDBUILDING. everything - from the magic system to the magical sports - was so wonderfully unique. the qyl and glyph system? oh i adored it. if i could draw a level 3 concentration glyph on my forehead so i could actually study for mid-year exams (coming up soon... lord have mercy), you best believe i'd do it in an INSTANT 🙂‍↕️

i loved seeing each new creature and their endearing qualities - from the trolls and their bridal party to the stymphs and their filicidal nature (or possibly that was cronus' nature in particular hehe), i adored the level of depth sophie kim put into each character. i especially loved the very british & scottish influence on this book, ESPECIALLY with the nonsense taissa would be spouting in her (admittedly endearing) accent. 🥹💖

SPEAKING of the characters, oh my goodness this book holds potentially some of the best found family characters i've ever seen. the way each member of the carriwitchet (magical sports) team is so unique and complex... oh my goodness SEDATE ME. 🥹❤️

first of all, let me pay tribute to my baby orion. i loved him from the moment he was introduced, and his bickering with knox genuinely fed my soul. his backstory?!? i genuinely did not expect him to have that much depth to his character but wow!! i adore his grumpy little icelandic ass so much 😭🤍

mentioning knox tanaka, i found him an absolute joy. he was such a cutie pie, and i loved the comic relief he brought, interspersed with the sadder moments of this book. "i'm just a wee lad" oh my gosh can i adopt him rn. 😭😭

the star of the show, taissa cho. (anybody notice the rhyme? 👅) she was such an incredible main character. her backstory was heartbreaking, and it was so, SO amazing to see her get her justice. the way that everybody was OUT for her made me SO angry, i'm so glad for that ending & epilogue or i would've been rioting in the streets. taissa's scottish self is possibly one of the most powerful female MCs i've read about in a long while.

kion locke. KION. LOCKE. my baby. my son. my child. his backstory genuinely made me want to curl up into a little ball and cry. he was done SO dirty, i just want to give him the biggest hug. the way his past trauma affects his present self was written SO well, his flare-ups and episodes made my heart physically HURT, and when he finally began to come out of his shell, i was enamoured. 🥹💗 this baby doesn't know how to use social media, and constantly comments "save picture" under posts. this sweet, sweet man shouts at his teammates to run faster during practice, but doesn't hesitate to boop his girl's nose. he even SAYS "boop". i'm convinced there's no cuter man out there.

isla & bronte... well. i really loved how isla got her happy ending, but bronte... idk, she kind of irritated me at times, but i still liked her. she was low-key kinda manipulative?? am i insane for saying that... gulp 😶

mahina and adrielllll oh my sweet babies. i adored these two - and the way the mute/sign language representation was done was IMMACULATE (in my incredibly inexperienced opinion). the way that taissa learned BSL for mahina... oh i'll burst into tears, don't get me started. 😭💖

AND MY ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE CHARACTER (tied with orion... and kion...), CRONUS THE STYMPH 🥹❤️ how did a dang bird creature have such an incredible backstory and development. the way his hopeful little interactions with his kids made me actually tear up... this sweet boy almost made me cry SEVERAL times. <3

the plot of this book was so good, i was eating it up!! however, my only (minor) issue was the pacing. it was pretty slow for the first ~45%ish, and i kind of struggled to really get stuck into it (as you can see, it took me over 2 months to read...), but after the 60% mark, i was HOOKED.

i really enjoyed the ending of the winged game, i feel like it tied up everything very nicely. despite how quickly everything was solved, i feel like it all made sense, and it was really satisfying seeing everything fall into place 🙂‍↕️🤍

i'm definitely going to have to investigate more of sophie kim's works, because this was AMAZING. i absolutely got what i was looking for when i requested this on netgalley <3

・・・・・

𑣲 ᴅᴏ ɪ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ?

HELL. YES.

[Hannah Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Romantasy meets sports romance!

This is one of my top reads of the year. It was such a refreshingly unique book in multiple ways. First of all, I’m kind of hit or miss with contemporary sports romances because I’m such a fantasy/romantasy girlie at heart. This is such an interesting mix because the book centers around the game of Carriwitchet.

Carriwitchet is played on the backs of various magical creatures. Each team has one specific kind of creature they ride, for example wyverns. I’ve seen some reviews comparing Carriwitchet to Quidditch from Harry Potter, but I think that’s an extremely unfair comparison seeing as the only similarity is that both games are played in the air. The positions are different, and the goal is to steal three gems from the opposing team’s tower. Whoever brings all three of the opposing team’s gems back to their side of the field first wins.

It took me a while to understand the game and the different roles of the players. I read an ARC copy, and hopefully Sophie Kim will add a glossary or a diagram of the playing field at some point.

The book starts off two years before the main story, and we find out how and why Taissa is forced to leave her Carriwitchet team in disgrace. Flash forward to two years later, and her biggest opponent, MMC Kion, asks her to return to the league on his team to help them out of the bad losing streak they’ve been having. The team desperately needs some good PR, so they agree to fake date for the good of the club. This brings me to my second point that made this book unique. In my opinion, this was a TRUE enemies to lovers. Every book claims to have that trope nowadays, but it really delivered here. I absolutely hated both of these characters for one another in the beginning, and I didn’t know how Kim was going to be able to change my mind about that.

I don’t want to reveal too much because there were a couple of twists that I didn’t see coming, and I don’t want to ruin that experience for anyone. However, I feel legally obligated to mention how absolutely obsessed I am with Cronus. I’m not even going to tell you who/what that is...I guess you’ll just have to read this!!!!

—Thank you to NetGalley, Sophie Kim, and Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore for the ARC copy of The Winged Game—

[Liana Gold · Rating 3 out of 5]

This read a bit like a game of Quidditch, where you have a draconian jewel that you must catch to win the game, but I found the plot a little too convoluted for my taste. I also thought this book was too long and read more YA to me. For adult protagonists who were in their mid-late twenties, the excessive bickering and impulsive decisions made them seem more immature, lacking the emotional maturity I was looking for. It was hard to root for them because they didn't feel relatable to me. The novel could have been trimmed by 150 pages if not for the excessive sections that went on and on; basically the author took too long to get to the point and the book felt too wordy, losing the momentum often. The romance was superficial and there was a strong reliance on physical attraction vs emotional development.

Last point! The British/Scottish humor is a mixed bag here. Some scenes were funny but as someone who loves British humor, it missed the spot for me.

FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW.

What's it about?
Sports romance meets fantasy: playing rugby on backs of dragons, wyverns and other winged creatures. Taissa Cho plays carriwitchet and she is one of the most promising players on the team.. until Kion Locke exposes for her using illegal magic during a match. When his team is in trouble, he is desperate to save it and asks Taissa for help. She despises him for everything he put her through but is in dire need of redemption..so she agrees. Meanwhile, mysterious curses and illnesses and conspiracies are threatening the future of this sport.

This was my BOTM pick for July and even though I found this book just OK, I might be the outlier here & I'd still recommend reading it if you're into sport romances.

[Mai ༊*·˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ★— Who doesn’t love a heated rivalry?

The Winged Game is a self-described sports romantasy about two former star players, Kion Locke and Taissa Cho, who have both lost their elite athlete reputations after she was outed for cheating by him two years ago, while his team has continued spiraling downward and losing its standing.

Easy to read, I’ll absolutely commend Sophie Kim for her genuinely funny and cheeky writing style. This book is quite long, but the smooth flow and lighthearted tone of the prose made it feel like a breeze to move through!

That said, this doesn’t stop me from acknowledging that certain sections dragged a little, and I do think the story could have been tightened in places. Do not get me wrong, I loved this book and had so much fun reading it, but the substantial length, along with what occasionally felt like stalled plot momentum, might put some readers off.

Told in dual POV, we follow Taissa and Kion as they slowly build their relationship. And by slowly, I mean slowly. Their connection takes a while to blossom, so that when it does, it feels earned and thoughtfully developed. As someone who loves a drawn-out buildup filled to the brim with all the glances, confusion, yearning and emotional uncertainty, I genuinely reveled in watching Taissa and Kion fumble their way from fake dating into real feelings.

There were also just so many hilarious moments throughout, a lot of them rooted in the story’s UK setting and the genuinely brilliant expressions and phrases that came with it. Taissa, for example, being half-Scottish and using her very colourful Scottish slang and a variety of Scottish insults, added so much humor! Really, this book has once again underlined my belief that truly, no one swears like the British.

The central plot shifts from being primarily sports-focused into something closer to a light detective style story in the latter half of the book, so readers who enjoyed Kim’s previous duology may find appreciate some familiar elements here. I know I did!

I’ve felt this about Sophie Kim’s work before, but after finishing this, I can confidently say that this woman has absolutely spent time in the halls of Tumblr and AO3. Large parts of this book gave me the exact warm giddiness of a really good 120,000 word slow-burn AU fic, and I mean that in the best, most complimentary way possible.

I would genuinely love a sequel novel focused on one of the side characters, because this world feels sobfull of stories still waiting to be explored. There are so many possibilities for fun romances among the characters we’ve been shown, and with the way this was written, the door for that is wiiiide open.

__________________

Thank you to Del Rey for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[vxmpslibrary [hiatus] · Rating 4 out of 5]

.4.5 stars. reviewed on: Jan 30th.
⤿ 💌 ⌗ publishing date: 30th June 2026. Already released i.e grab your copies soon!

.my thoughts.
I actually did not meant to pick this book up, when I heard about it, I was very skeptical because this whole situation sounds interesting but I was scared, but then it's written by Sophie Kim, and I would always love to give her books a chance.

And they hit. no lie.

So sports romantasy is the best thing ever? Sophie Kim tries something new and I'm ready for her to serve and exactly it left me amused and interested. The whole plot infact blew my mind, I was in fact already love with the characters.

Yes, the writing style and dialogues are no joke, not for the weak hearted, the dialogues made my head ache with amusement, and frustration both. Because did I expect the foul language? No, but even more the language was funnily put. On some other day I would have been annoyed, luckily I was bored so I loved it.

Also this book was funny for me, like I don't know why I kept laughing at so many things that occurred in the middle of the book and from the starting it seems to draw me in.

Taissa Cho, is a very fierce character. She's strong, unwilling to backdown from a fight or a verbal even physical spar. If I could be honest, I'm saying that the way she spoke back made me feel satisfied, honestly she was so different and I loved it about her. She was indeed soft from inside, but the way she spoke in her thick accent was anything but cute. She would make you regret talking with her.

And she loved to fight with Kion.

Kion is the very person who brought her career to downhill in jealousy, insecurity and even as a way to revenge on the defeat he has recieved because of her. She would always be good and she hated him which would piss him off more. Butt underneath all those years we have a 'pookie' -- yes that's why Taissa called him - who secretly is a yearner and yearns for touch a lot haha.

Honestly these both were very different characters, they were fighting like siblings/ rivals both at the same time which made it interesting. Their banter made me chuckle and laugh, even made me feel embarrassed because what the hell is a bahoochie situation!?!? I was feeling so many emotions at once with this book. The way he would care for her and the way she cared for him, in the end she was the real yearner I know, and I loved it all, there were so many beautiful moments.

James, I doubted him, for a second I wondered if he was gay [I'm sorry but the way he acted jealous] sorry James, but connecting with him was a bit harder since he was barely on screen with other crew. Yet I loved his bond with Kion, they were good friends indeed. Even though the way they stopped talking after Kion lied was a bit tad dramatic but then I'm the same so I don't blame him.

Knox, wow he was such a cutie at the same time funny. He was very carefree and good to go with, always engaging and verbally sparring with Orion, which seemed like his daily hobby. Yet I loved his character it was easy to like him the way he commented in a funny way.

There are other team members too whom I loved them so much, but you would have to read the book to know about them!! Bronte, Orion and [another one I forgot the name] are the best ones too <3.

The found family was so cute honestly, it made me happy at how when they all opened up they were so sincere in protecting each other. Didn't expect much of it but I loved it.

Even the plot that revolved around when solved, it was hinted at, and it did went in circles before settling in, it was surprising and enjoyable I would say, sometimes it may dim but then the characters itself are interesting so you don't actually see yourself in a dim boring situation.

The ending did had a satisfying end, but I expected more of Taissa's old team hoping that they get what they deserve. Aster and Elise were mean and rude, dare I hoped for revenge hehe sorry.

I would yes , recommend this book a lot! It was so good, sports and romantasy do go well off! But just a tad bit warning about the writing, scottish it is, and dangerously weird. Yet I loved it.

💌 Thank you, Netgalley and Del Ray, Random House Worlds, for this beautiful arc in exchange for an honest review.

.# preread.
I didn't expect to get this arc I'm screaming!?!?! O my goodness I'm not gonna read this yet but in March end probably [watch me go back on my words and read it rn].

[rina · Rating 1 out of 5]

‎ ‎ ੭୧‎ ‎ 1 star‎ ‎ . ۫

overall thoughts — This was an absolute dumpster fire! I have been deceived!! I went into this expecting a light and fun read, but having finished, the only things I feel are an overwhelming urge to defenestrate the protagonist and a deep sense of second-hand embarrassment from the cringe-worthy dialogue and romance 😕

What I liked: The interludes were cute and some of the banter was entertaining. There were some moments that made me laugh. For a brief stretch, I actually had fun with this book. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic even seemed convincing at first, which is rare for me because most romantasy completely fumbles that trope.

But somewhere around 40-50%, everything fell apart. The banter that was initially funny quickly became repetitive and irritating. The use of sarcasm slowly turned into cringe dialogue and clichés. On top of that, the constant swearing in nearly every sentence became exhausting.

My biggest problem was the characters!! Both Taissa and Kion are unbelievably insufferable. Taissa's personality seems to consist of being whiny and irritated half the book, while the other half consists of her thinking about how Kion is soooo sexy 🤤 Kion is the classic broody, possessive romantasy male lead with very little depth beyond that. The romance felt incredibly shallow and tasteless.

What makes it worse is that the story markets itself partly as a sports romantasy, yet there is barely any actual sport. For a book built around Carriwitchet (a Quidditch-esque sport) - you would expect idk maybe the characters focusing on the actual playing of the sport?? There are also moments that are so absurd I genuinely had to stop and ask myself if this was supposed to be serious - like a scene where the characters do an explicit magazine photoshoot.

I am a bit disappointed in seeing the direction the author seems to be going in. There's something genuinely sad about watching an author move from writing Asian fantasy to leaning heavily into the most cliché Booktok romantasy tropes. I can absolutely see this book becoming popular when it releases. It contains all the elements that tend to sell right now: rivals-to-lovers, a broody possessive male lead, lots of banter, magical creature riding, a romance built on tension and attraction...etc. Fourth Wing enthusiasts will probably enjoy it. But I definitely did not. At all.

final thoughts — I laughed a few times, and the interludes were cute. But those moments weren't enough to save a story filled with irritating characters, repetitive humour, and a romance that quickly became unbearable. Somewhere between the cringe-worthy dialogue and the endless sex talk, I started losing the will to live continue 💔

thank you to the author and publisher for the arc!

CW: sexual content, violence, language, trauma, abuse, animal abuse, cyberbullying

────

finished: 02/25/26 𖥻𓈒 ꒱ ੭
my faith in romantasy authors continues to sink lower by the day. sigh 😞

pre read: 02/20/26 𖥻𓈒 ꒱ ੭
stepping out of my comfort zone with this one, as it's a sports romantasy. i've learned the hard way i can't expect much from romantasy, but the synopsis is too intriguing! i just hope the characters aren't insufferable 🤞

[DianaRose]

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

unfortunately, dnf — although i’m not the biggest sports fan, i was very intrigued by the concept of a sports romantasy, and i was so excited to dive into my arc! however, i fear sports and romantasy should remain separate genres as this was just too convoluted in my opinion.

i’m sure this book will find its audience, but it’s not me

[shaelinslibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh, man! was this fun… if you love banter, this book is for you.

i had an absolute blast with this! romantasy, but add in a sports romance aspect, and you’ve got me interested.

taissa cho is one of my absolute favorite fmc’s to ever exist. she’s grumpy, intelligent, and such a freaking bad ass.

kion is such a grump too, but it’s so endearing. i love how oblivious he is to his feelings. it makes for great inner dialogue.

also the animal bonds in this were such a great added part! i love them!

the found family, character arcs, and mystery plot made this book so good. i lowkey wish we would get more from this world. i love a witches/warlock situation.

if you’re interested in this book, i would highly encourage you to do the audio. it was so good and added an extra layer of hilarity.

4.5 stars ⭐️

[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 2 out of 5]

”I could never get sick of this. I could never get sick of you.”

i had high hopes for my first sports romantasy, especially after enjoying this authors other series. unfortunately, i struggled the whole way through this book and it was not a pleasant experience.

things that stuck out to me (in a bad way) :

• “adult” but the characters act obnoxiously YA
• uk / scottish humor was not working for me
• reason for the enemies to lovers trope was FLIMSY
• inconsistent world building
• romance equivalent to cardboard
• couldn’t stand the wrap up / ending section

im the most frustrated with the fact that we don’t even learn anything about the game of Carriwitchet .. which is supposed to be the main focus of the book? all i know is that they fly on winged beasts during the games, but that’s it. Kion and Taissa weren’t compelling characters— on their own or together. the whole thing with her old coach rubbed me the wrong way, it felt so unnecessary and over the top. i didn’t care for the curse plot line either. also, James was so overbearing?? idk, i just couldn’t wait for this book to be over. it was redundant and way too long, it could’ve lost 100+ pages.

➼ thanks to NetGalley, the author and Del Rey for the arc, all opinions are my own.

[BookishKB · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨ The Winged Game ✨
I devoured this book. I was immediately obsessed with this book and I need at least ten more in this world. It is already one of my favorite reads of the year. Honestly, this was a 6 star read for me!! This was truly romantasy sports romance in every sense and I am already impatient for the audiobook. I am manifesting duet narration with a full cast because it deserves that level of production.

The second I realized the main characters play a magical sport on winged beasts, I was locked in. That concept alone had me, but the execution was chefs kiss! The magic system was strong and the world building actually surprised me. But it wasn't overwhelming!

Taissa absolutely wrecked me. My heart broke for her and I was genuinely angry on her behalf. Her fall from grace and everything that follows was awful! Especially when you learn why! Also, this was a true enemies to lovers romance. Both Taissa and Kion strongly hated each other! Which made the fake dating even funnier! I did think the photoshoot scene was odd and unncessary?

The only note I’ll make is that although the characters are in their late twenties, they read younger. More like college aged professional athletes. It didn’t ruin anything for me, but it stood out.

💫 What to Expect
• Magical sports
• Rival athletes
• Forced proximity
• True enemies to lovers
• Fake dating
• Wyvern besties!
• Found family
• Healing Arc
_ _ _

📅 Pub Date: June 30, 2026
📝 Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy. All thoughts are my own.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You’re mine to hate.” should not me romantic but it is!!

Fantasy sports romance takes its first flight with The Winged Game, a standalone of rivalry, magic, and curses aplenty. Step into a sports rivalry romance unlike any other, where the game in question, Carriwitchet, is played alongside a plethora of winged creatures and two former rivals must fake date in order to sell their new collaboration. Players Taissa Cho and Kion Locke made headlines with their longstanding Carriwitchet rivalry, but years after Taissa was forced out of the sport for allegedly cheating she is called back to aid Kion’s failing team. Now fighting to win on the same side, burying the hatchet is made all the more difficult when they have to muster up feelings of love and devotion—for the sake of the team that is. Sophie Kim’s The Winged Game combines everything most essential to her craft: humor, hijinks, and unlikely romantic duos, and gives it a magical sports twist. Kim has always nailed the balancing act with these and Winged Game is a refreshing new playing field for an already impeccable talent in fantasy. Taissa and Kion’s dynamic is delicious and the transformation from bitter rivals to partners had me on edge for the entirety of this novel. Sophie Kim had me questioning why the words "you're mine to hate” were so romantic, delighting in “who hurt you” (initiated by a woman), and relishing in the found family dynamic amongst our Carriwitchet team. The Winged Game is more proof Sophie Kim has tapped into something electric in the fantasy genre, charming and eccentric as only her writing can be. You’ll want to be on her team for this and all others.

thank you to edelweiss and the publisher for the advance review copy.

Bookstagram | Blog

[Berry ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Sophie Kim, Del Rey, Random House Worlds, and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! The Winged Game releases on June 30th!

3.75 / 5 ⭐

I want to preface this by saying this is my first Sophie Kim novel, so it took me quite a while to get used to the writing style! Not only that, but I do not read many sports romances. I was very curious about this one because it combines a sports romance with a romantasy setting! I was very pleasantly surprised at how well these two genres mixed!

I enjoyed the setting very much. The worldbuilding and magic system were both very unique and I felt myself wanting to know more about how everything in this world works. Granted, I did feel like the overall beginning of the book was a bit difficult for me to read because I was struggling to understand how Carriwitchet works. Most of the time I imagined Quidditch.

Taissa, our FMC, is the star player for the Wyverns! She's a powerhouse in the field, winning games and gaining sponsorships like there's no tomorrow. All that changes one day after her rival exposes her and and her career is ruined. I really REALLY loved how sarcastic she was, and her banter was soooo funny.

Kion, her rival, and former celebrity crush.. is our MMC. He was broody, and grumpy.. but overall a softie on the inside. Over the course of this book, I really fell in love with him. He was commited, loving, and just overall hilarious.

As the book progressed and their relationship developed, I found myself loving the two more and more. Their banter was hilarious and felt authentic. And the fake dating didn't seem to feel too forced into the forefront of the plot.

Overall, I enjoyed this one, but I did struggle to get through the first 20-30% of the book.


♡ pre-read ♡

A Fantasy AND a Sports romance? Oh my god I just know I'm going to melt.

[Luce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun fantasy anyone? Because that’s exactly what this is. You’ll be locked in with the action but really here for the laughs and the witty interactions.

A gorgeous cast of extremely likeable characters that are nuanced and interesting. You can’t help but root for them!

Do I think it needed to be as long as it was? No but still had a good time overall.

[Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 30%. I picked up a Book of the Month selection right away! Go me. I was sold on the sports angle of the plot, but unfortunately that made up a very small portion of the page count. I might have actually been on board for the romance angle, but found the relationship just too immature to tolerate. The characters were described as a 30 year old male and a 24 year old female, but their behavior made them come across like a couple of disregulated high school kids. So yeah, immature. But don’t worry, there’s an f-bomb on every page to compensate. Snark aside, I think this is going to work for a lot of people, but it just didn’t land for me.

[Samantha (ladybug.books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I would honestly read Sophie Kim's grocery list at this point because I truly love everything she writes.

The Winged is a sports romance in a fantasy setting, following the high-stakes sport of carriwitchet that is played on the backs of winged mythical beasts. I believe, if I understood the references correctly, this is also set in the same world in one of Sophie Kim's other series, The God and the Gumiho.

This has a rivals-to-lovers storyline in which the old rivals are forced to work together to try to bring an old team back to its former glory. I loved the progression of Taissa and Kion's relationship. Their banter was incredible, and I loved the heartfelt moments as they got to know each other and realized that their rivalry wasn't fair to either of them. The depth of their relationship serves as an incredibly strong focal point for the story.

I also loved the found family of a team that makes up the Stymphs team—and that family includes some incredibly endearing animal companions. There were so many interesting dynamics and relationships between these characters that kept me emotionally invested the entire time.

There is considerably less gameplay than I was expecting, given the sports romance vibes and that both main characters are professional athletes. Carriwitchet, the characters' relationship with the sport, and the future of the team are very central to the plot, but we don't see that many actual matches. Instead, much of the plot concerns a mystery as the characters become almost amateur detectives, trying to save the sport they love. It's fun and leads to both entertaining hijinks and tense, angsty moments. But I do think I would have liked to see more gameplay.

I absolutely flew through this story. I couldn't put it down because I was having so much fun!

Thank you Del Rey for the eARC

Links to my TikTok | Instagram | YouTube | Bindery Books

[ishraq ★ (ia) · Rating 4 out of 5]

── ⟡ 🪽 four point five stars ★
ㅤㅤ⌗ publishing june 30, 26 !

this book definitely won a spot in my heart rtc

thank you to netgalley and author for an arc ꕀ book number 45 ੭

[BookishByTammi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually so much fun! The fake dating, the found family, the mystery was all gripping and entertaining.

It was slightly too long and the mystery dragged on a bit but because I liked the characters i didn’t mind too much.
Both MC’s have past traumas they are hiding which makes them easy to root for and understand.
The side characters added the right amount of comic relief, especially her grumpy old Stymph (a talking animal will always do it for me)

[Temi (temisreads)&#x1f9f8; · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐
“You’re mine to hate.”

More fantasy standalones please!!! I ate this book up!! If you know me you know sports romance is one of my favorite sub genres of romance so mixing that with another favorite genre is a recipe for something I will love. Sophie Kim’s writing is just wonderful and made this such a fun reading experience. Taissa Cho and Kion Locke have long been Carriwitchet rivals and the dynamic between these two was SO good! They each have trauma from their past and seeing their dynamic grow over the course of the book was tension filled, vulnerable, humorous, and romantic. The banter between them was just effortless and mix it with fake dating and rivals to lovers, yup perfect for me!!! Cronus, Taissa’s winged beast, was a highlight of this book for me. This grumpy creature with a traumatic past in his own right warmed up to Taissa and the bond they created was really special. The final reveal was a bit flat but I still loved this book. The Winged Game is a very engaging, addicting, character driven story and I cannot recommend this standalone sports romance fantasy enough!!


Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for the eARC in exchange for my review!

[Sarah (berriesandbooks) (sorta back) · Rating 1 out of 5]

i’m suing everyone

[Shannon Farley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly don't know how to feel about this book. 

⭐⭐⭐.5
🌶️

There were a lot of things I liked. 
-Creative, original writing.
-Witty, Comedic characters.
-A true enemies to lover's slow burn.
-Unique world 
-Engaging mysterious plot.
-Fake dating.
-Great found family.
-Character depth.
-Bonded, mind communication, riding companions.

But there was also a lot that didn't work for me. 
-Confusing world. (There were so many magical creatures, towns and Cities that I could not picture any of it while I was reading.)
-Hard to follow side character. (The author kept switching between using characters last names and first names, so it was really hard to follow who was who though out the book. Unless you kept a chat sheet nearby. The names were also really unique so that made it harder to follow.)
-Fast paced with slow progression. (For some reason this felt really long. Maybe it was the over complex world or the extremely slow romance but it kind of dragged at some spots and maybe felt a little repetitive?) 
-Sports game. (I could never really understand the game play. Again, there wasn't much description. I heard someone say it was similar to capture the flag but I could not picture it.)

Maybe it was just me, but it seemed really complex with the magical background that it kind of pulled me out of the story. But I did like the overall plot, writing and characters so my feelings are defiantly jumbled on this one.

[Cups and Thoughts · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was never really in my radar bc i liked the god and the gumiho but it wasn’t a favorite, so i did not expect to be blown away by the winged game. but ugh i’m SO glad i’m wrong!!!

this was SUCH a breath of fresh air. are sports romantasy a new thing bc wow miss sophie kim is out here redefining the genre. need 10 more of these. this was an absolute banger. romance that doesn't feel forced, banters that don't make me cringe, a plot that's paced beautifully with proper build ups, a sweeping fantasy world that's new and unique and doesn't feel like something that's been recycled over and over again, and a full ensuite of DIVERSE characters with different yet loveable personalities?! YES! BIG YES!


i think the biggest takeaway from the story was how much FUN it was. i listened to the audiobook and it was INCREDIBLE. the narrators were Perfection with a capital p. they made the whole listening experience so engaging and immersive. i cannot recommend it enough.

it was laugh out loud funny, sweet, cute, the banter was 10/10, and the romance was believable and actually a PROPER slow burn. it was so slow that i started to forget at some point that this was a romantasy lol. i love how the author did not overshadow the plot, the other characters, the world-building, the magic, and even the stakes, all for the sake of delivering a romance story. so many times i read a romantasy with SO much potential and all gets washed away by the need to satisfy the audience with a forced romance :’) this one worked so beautifully with the length of the book. it’s long but perfectly paced, allowing room for other elements to slowly take up room as well. i love it.

the social media posts were 10/10 too — SO fun. SO silly and funny. we get some emotional and heartbreaking and frustrating moments too which UGH i loved. i really felt the rage and sheer determination from both taissa and kion. it was awesome.

also wanted to highlight something super niche but i did not feel the chemistry between taissa and kion in the first half of the book which i think is a huge win ok? they genuinely hated each other and were constantly at each other’s throats. it wasn’t hate that fueled their attraction either which — again — HUGE win!!! they completely won me over by the end which is a sign that the author absolutely nailed the rivals to lovers tropes. i love that they were rivals initially, and very very slowly they become friends over tiny subtle things, then small sparks fly over bigger things and then even when they get to the point where they quite clearly are attracted to one another, they still took the time to get to know one another, be vulnerable, be open, and be mature about it. it was awesome 🙂‍↔️

miss sophie kim ate and absolutely left no crumbs. this book just made me smile and laugh so much. I just had the best time listening to this, and it's a standalone novel which is just the cherry on top. sophie kim has now become a new author in my autobuy list. i cannot get enough of this book.

shoutout to my friend jess from spiritbounds for recommending this book and for allowing space for me to freak out about it on her DMs. it’s her book of the year and i can see why. 5/5 stars ⭐️🫶🏼

[Noi (in & out)]

kind of conflicted - I need a minute
----------
So excited for fantasy sport

[Minna · Rating 5 out of 5]

HAPPY RELEASE DAY TO THE WINGED GAME!! <3

"Be careful. You'll make me start thinking you don't hate me. Pookie."

"You're not as bad as I thought you were. Sweetheart."

NEW FAVORITE READ OF 2026 ALERT!!! Oh my goodness, I had so much fun with this one. I was already so excited when I saw this was going to be a sports romance x romantasy genre crossover, and it absolutely delivered. The back and forth snarky comments and banter was chef's kiss, the tension was PERFECT, the fake dating had me jumping off the damn walls. This brought me back to the same high I felt while reading The God and the Gumiho, and I loved every minute of it.

I cannot emphasize how much of a blast I had with this one. The writing was done so well that I felt like I could clearly envision all the carriwitchet matches. The pacing of Taissa and Kion's relationship was done SO PERFECTLY. Like these two cannot stand each other, and then you throw them into a forced fake dating pr stunt, and just having both of their dual pov's and reading their inner crisis about finding someone who they should hate attractive. *bites fist* ANNND the best part of fake dating when done right, is when the characters start to wonder if the other is still faking it, or if it's for real, and how all these lines are starting to blur. It was executed phenomenally.

I also just really loved Taissa and Kion as characters. They both feel like they're incapable of understanding the other, but overtime watching them realize that maybe they had made assumptions rather than really trying to understand the whole time. *heart clenches* They were so perfect. I mean Kion is kind of a jerk in the beginning, but you realize he would just do anything in his power for his chosen family, to keep them safe, and also for them just to continue to be together as a team.

Which brings me to the found family in here 😭 listen I would put my life on the line for the Stymphs as well. I loved every single one of these characters so much, and how Taissa slowly creates a bond with all of them melted my heart. She deserved a team like this, and watching them all begin to love and accept her had me so emotional. ALSO!! THE MYTHICAL CREATURES!! Cronus, oh my god, I loved him so much. He was so funny and watching his bond grow with Taissa made me tear up towards the end.

If you are looking for a book that will have you laughing, bouncing off the walls for the fake dating, screaming over the tension, and crying over the found family and the mental health rep, you will absolutely enjoy The Winged Game by Sophie Kim. I can't wait to reread this on audio and be back with these characters and this world again.

Thank you Del Rey for the gifted copy!

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored The Winged Game. It struck the perfect balance between being fun, chaotic, and genuinely entertaining while also delivering mystery, heartbreak, and some incredibly raw explorations of human trauma.

The story begins with Taissa Cho’s dramatic fall from the top after her rival, Kion Locke, discovers a high-level luck glyph etched into her skin and reports her. We then jump forward two years to find both of them in the UK, and, quite frankly, they’re both doing terribly. It made for such an entertaining setup, and I was hooked from the start.

The enemies-to-lovers romance was exactly what I want from the trope. Taissa and Kion had real history, genuine conflict, and fantastic chemistry. I loved them both individually and together. They each had layered backstories that made them feel like fully realised characters, and Kion’s past absolutely broke my heart. There were several moments where I genuinely welled up reading his chapters.

This has also become one of my favourite examples of found family. Watching the team slowly go from constantly arguing with and distrusting Taissa to becoming something so fiercely loyal and supportive was incredibly rewarding. Those relationships ended up being just as compelling as the romance.

This was such a fantastic read, and it’s cemented Sophie Kim as an author I’ll definitely be reading more from.