King of Envy by Ana Huang Summary

King of Envy by Ana Huang is the fifth installment in the Kings of Sin series, following the forbidden romance between Vuk Markovic, a scarred and guarded billionaire, and Ayana Kidane, a globally adored supermodel trapped in a fake engagement to Vuk's childhood friend. This dark, slow-burn romance explores obsession, redemption, and the moral complexities of desire when the person you want most belongs to someone else.

King of Envy appeals to readers who enjoy emotionally intense, morally gray romances with forbidden love dynamics. Fans of Ana Huang's Twisted Lies or King of Wrath will appreciate the elevated internal stakes and psychological depth. This book is ideal for those seeking minimal dialogue with maximum tension, representation of selective mutism and ASL communication, and slow-burn romance that prioritizes emotional connection over typical billionaire romance tropes.

King of Envy is worth reading for those seeking Ana Huang's most psychologically intimate installment yet. The novel delivers powerful character development, nuanced representation of trauma and communication differences, and a relationship built on gestures, proximity, and longing rather than conventional romance patterns. Readers praised the magnetic chemistry and emotional depth, with many calling Vuk and Ayana one of Ana Huang's top three couples.

Ana Huang is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Sunday Times bestselling author who has sold over 23 million copies worldwide. The Chinese-American writer became a BookTok phenomenon with her Twisted series, which garnered over two billion views and is currently in development at Netflix. Ana Huang writes contemporary romance featuring strong heroines, complex heroes, and her signature blend of steam and swoon across multiple subgenres.

King of Envy can be read as a standalone without reading previous Kings of Sin books. While the seven-book series features interconnected powerful men each representing a deadly sin—including King of Wrath, King of Pride, King of Greed, and King of Sloth—each novel tells a complete love story. Reading the series in order provides deeper context about the friend group dynamics, but isn't required to enjoy Vuk and Ayana's romance.

King of Envy centers on Vuk Markovic, a hyper-private billionaire scarred from a violent past who uses ASL and selective mutism, and Ayana Kidane, a rising supermodel stuck in a glamorous but suffocating fake engagement. Vuk embodies the sin of envy, never forgetting Ayana since first seeing her, while Ayana seeks liberation from a predatory modeling agency through her business arrangement with Jordan, Vuk's childhood friend.

King of Envy explores obsession and ownership through Vuk's consuming need for Ayana, freedom through risk as both characters gamble their stability for love, and silence and identity via Vuk's ASL communication and selective mutism. The novel examines survival and self-worth through Ayana's journey to reclaim value within herself, while navigating morally gray terrain where complex decisions within broken systems create depth beyond simple villainy.

Vuk Markovic stands apart as Ana Huang's most complex hero through his representation of selective mutism and American Sign Language communication, providing nuanced disability representation rarely seen in romance. His capacity for violence, rooted in avenging his brother's death, creates genuine moral complexity without glamorizing toxicity. Vuk's character resists the typical alpha billionaire archetype by building intimacy through restraint, gesture, and silent observation rather than verbal dominance.

The relationship between Vuk Markovic and Ayana Kidane in King of Envy is built on minimal dialogue and maximum tension, with their connection developing through gestures, proximity, and longing looks. Their forbidden romance escalates from observation to obsession as Ayana's fake engagement to Jordan creates moral conflict. The slow-burn dynamic thrills and terrifies Ayana equally, culminating when wedding chaos forces her to seek comfort in the one person she should avoid.

King of Envy shifts away from the billionaire glam of previous Kings of Sin books, rooting its love story in silence, shadows, and scars—both emotional and physical. Unlike King of Wrath's ruthless passion or King of Greed's internal war, King of Envy slows the flame until it singes with more internal stakes. The novel features minimal dialogue compared to Twisted Lies, with Vuk's past influencing every choice through interplay between past and present rather than backstory dumps.

King of Envy features powerful quotes that capture the forbidden romance's intensity.

• "I don't hate you. But I wish I did" encapsulates Vuk's internal conflict between loyalty and unwanted desire for Ayana.
• "Kada te konačno budem poljubio, nećeš više nositi njegov prsten na ruci" (When I finally kiss you, you won't be wearing his ring anymore) signifies Vuk's possessive claim in Serbian.
• Vuk's confession about his capacity for violence reveals his inability to change his fundamental nature despite wishing he could.

Ana Huang employs alternating first-person perspectives between Ayana and Vuk in King of Envy, providing intimate access to hidden motivations while building dramatic irony. The narrative features rich sensory and emotional detail, with Ayana's chapters focusing on fashion and scents while Vuk's emphasize physical tension and internal turmoil. Recurring symbolism including scars representing trauma and resilience, fire symbolizing destruction and rebirth, and Shadow the cat embodying survival adds thematic depth throughout King of Envy.