Taissa Cho was well on her way to becoming the United Kingdom’s premier player of carriwitchet (think airborne rugby), until the revelation of a rival, Kion Locke, forced her to leave her beloved sport and her winged wyvern Sansa. Taissa spent the next two years hiding from her public disgrace and planning Kion’s death by one of her numerous crocheted scarves. Now Taissa is given another chance to play carriwitchet if she joins Kion’s bottom-ranked team. Saying yes means she will have to pretend to be Kion’s girlfriend for positive PR, but their fiery hatred for each other is only exceeded by their love for carriwitchet. The entire sport is at risk, as many of the teams’ winged beasts have fallen mysteriously ill. Can Taissa and Kion put aside their feelings to solve the mystery, or will it be their feelings that help them discover the truth? VERDICT Kim (The God and the Gwisin) offers a delightfully fantastical mystery with animal bonds, an enemies-to-lovers romance, a magical sport, and dire curses. Romantasy readers who like their protagonists with snappy dialog and supporting characters, both human and animal, should pick this up. —Library Journal

Former rivals in a magical game must learn to work together in this light and humorous blend of sports romance and contemporary fantasy from Kim (The God and the Gwisin). Two years ago, Taissa Cho was caught using magic to cheat by Kion Locke, effectively banning her from carriwitchet, a sport played on the backs of dragons, wyverns, and other flying beasts, collectively called Wingeds. Now Kion’s team, the Stymphs, are on the verge of dissolution due to a generational losing streak. To save them, he recruits Taissa. She knows she’s an excellent player and the Stymphs were once a good team, so when things don’t improve after she joins up, she becomes convinced their abysmal performance can only be explained by a curse. Meanwhile, Wingeds fall into comas, confirming that curses abound in the carriwitchet circuit. Taissa and Kion’s largely antagonistic relationship is magnetic and frequently hilarious, and investigating two major mysteries buoys their slow-burning romance. Somewhat clunky worldbuilding (the magic system is never properly explained) holds this underdog story back a bit, but it’s still easy to root for the chaotic and diverse Stymphs and their snarky mounts. Readers in it for the romance will be well pleased. Agent: Emily Forney, BookEnds Literary. (June) —Publishers Weekly