Move Over Hockey Romance: This Sizzling Slow-Burn Takes Sports Romantasy to the Skies
Who would have thought a sports romantasy would work? The Winged Game by Sophie Kim offers the perfect balance between all the various genres meshed together, creating a story that is both thrilling and engaging.
This is more than just a sports romantasy. There’s a mystery within the tale, as well as deep character development that creates the need for The Winged Game’s universe to grow with sequels.
The Winged Game starts off with the enemies-to-lovers trope. We immediately find out why Taissa Cho was kicked out of the sport she loved and was making a career in, but it’s clear that there is much more to this story. It’s no wonder Cho turns into a bitter shell of herself, as people focus on her cheating and not the full truth behind it.
Meanwhile, Kion Locke and his team, The Stymphs, are struggling. They have gone from one of the best teams in the Major Leagues of Carriwitchet to the very bottom of the Minor Leagues. Locke is sure that the only way out is to get Cho onto the team, but that brings its own problems. Of course, there are concerns that a “cheater” is joining the team, and there are questions about the two of them in a romantic relationship, leading to the fake dating trope as well.
However, The Winged Game is more than just a slow-burn romance or a story about a team getting back to the top. There’s a mysterious illness affecting all the winged creatures in the story — each team has its own winged creature — and there’s a story of curses and betrayal. Mixed with that, we have the bonding of humans and their winged creatures, bringing up stories of abuse and betrayal and how the love and understanding of one person can help.
Chronos quickly became my favorite character, and the banter between him and Cho made me chuckle a lot. I also loved his offhand remarks, especially about eating his own children, as you could tell that he had to keep up the facade of being a grumpy and dangerous beast the more he warmed up to everyone as they started to treat him better.
Cho and Locke had their own traumatic backstories that suddenly came out, and the Stymphs have a wonderful found-family vibe that has been fractured over time but has its own chance to heal. I would love novellas of each of the team members, as they all have their own trauma and pasts that they’re running from, creating a wealth of storylines to come in the future.
The magical world has also been deeply developed. We get a great understanding of the glyphs that are used, as well as the different types of magical creatures and demigods. It’s another way that The Winged Games can develop into a larger series of books, developing the relationships between the different creatures with another magical mystery that affects others.
In fact, it was the mystery that I felt drawn to. This helped to open the world of magic, allowing us to understand more about curses, the past Witching Wars, the bond and rules with the creatures, and the different magical beings. There is depth to the hatred among different creatures, but there is also understanding and a level of acceptance when it comes to the right personality and attitude toward differences. I could see more mysteries that lead to these different worlds coming together, with the creatures having to cross the bridges of their differences to get to the bottom of things.
I also found myself rooting for the slow-burn romance — which transformed at the perfect spot for a slow-burn — but didn’t quite find it as a true enemies-to-lovers. It’s clear that while they were “enemies,” there was something more to that tale, and I’d love to get a little more of that backstory. Sometimes, there were hints of where the “enemies” part started, but it wasn’t quite enough to understand the buildup to Kion turning Cho in for “cheating.”
One thing The Winged Game does highlight is the fickle nature of sports supporters and social media followers. As so many turn against Cho when they think they know the truth, they’re quick to uncancel her when they find out the realities of the story. Nothing is done or said to address this among the team, and I think it’s a small downside. Not enough to wipe out any stars, because that isn’t the true tale of the book, but I would love to see a discussion about it.
The Winged Game is perfect for those who want Fourth Wing but with sports and mystery. It’s great for Harry Potter fans who love the Quidditch parts of the story, and it’s a must for those who are ready to mix sports romance with fantasy. This is easily a 5-star read!
The Winged Game is available to purchase on June 30, 2026.