Anaverse
BookTok Sensation Ana Huang’s Anaverse Character Connections Explained
[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for all of Ana Huang’s novels through King of Envy.]
To say Ana Huang is a prolific romance author would be an understatement.
Since her debut in 2020, the bestselling author Huang has published 14 contemporary romances that are a perfect blend of humor, humility, spice, and swoon. Her four series (If Love, Twisted, Kings of Sin, and Gods of the Game), affectionately referred to as the Anaverse by fans, are each set to feature three to seven interconnected standalone novels.
However, when Huang says that her books are “interconnected,” trust us when we say, she means it. Every lead is plucked from a previous story and has a deep connection to at least one other Anaverse character. Beyond that, all four series exist in the same universe. That means that while you can read her books/series in any order, we suggest reading them in the order of publication so that you don’t miss out on any of the Easter eggs she leaves throughout the Anaverse.
With 28 leads and (at least) 8 more on the way, it’s safe to say that keeping track of all of Huang’s characters could get a little confusing, so we’ve created an Anaverse character map to help you along the way! Below, you’ll find a color-coded visual breakdown of all four series, their main characters, and the connections between them.
BookTok, grab a pen, and take some notes because this is an Anaverse character breakdown you’re not going to want to miss!
If Love Characters
“One year is all it takes for strangers to become lovers.”
Published in 2020, Ana Huang’s If Love series is where it all started. The series covers the love stories of Farrah Lin and Blake Ryan (represented here as pink) in If We Ever Meet Again and If the Sun Never Sets; Kris Carrera and Nate Reynolds (teal) in If Love Had a Price; and Olivia Tang and Sammy Yu (tangerine) in If We Were Perfect.
Twisted Characters
“He has a heart of ice…but for her, he’d burn the world.”
Skyrocketing Huang into BookTok stardom, the beloved Twisted series began in 2021. The series follows Ava Chen and Alex Volkov (light blue) in Twisted Love; Bridget von Ascheberg and Rhys Larsen (yellow) in Twisted Games; Jules Ambrose and Josh Chen (red) in Twisted Hate; and Stella Alonso and Christian Harper (light green) in Twisted Lies.
Twisted Love has also been picked up for an TV adaptation on Netflix! Be sure to check this page for updates on the adaptation, and leave a comment on our dream cast letting us know who you want to see on the show.
Kings of Sin Characters
“She’s the wife he never wanted…and the weakness he never saw coming.”
Home of Huang’s most recent bestseller King of Envy, the Kings of Sin series leaves her college days behind. So far, the series follows Vivian Lau and Dante Russo (burgundy) in King of Wrath; Isabella Valencia and Kai Young (purple) in King of Pride; Alessandra and Dominic Davenport (gold) in King of Greed; Sloane Kensington and Xavier Castillo (blue) in King of Sloth; and Ayana Kidane and Vuk Markovic in King of Envy. Huang has also revealed that the next book in the series King of Gluttony will follow Maya Singh and Sebastian Laurent (orange); however, the leads of the final book, King of Lust have yet to be revealed.
Gods of the Game Characters
“She’s the only woman he wants…and the only one he can’t have.”
In Huang’s most recent book series, Gods of the Game, she dives into the world of sports romance. The first book in the series, The Striker, follows Scarlett DuBois and Asher Donovan (light purple), and The Defender, which comes out in October, will follow Brooklyn Armstrong and Vincent DuBois (gray). While Huang has revealed that there will be three books in the series, there is no title for the third book at this time.
Now that we’ve met all of Huang’s leading players, scroll to find out how they are all connected!
Anaverse Character Connections
Now that we’ve introduced all of Ana Huang’s major players, here’s a breakdown of how everyone is connected.
The Anaverse started with the If Love series’ first couple, Farrah Lin and Blake Ryan, who are close friends with Kris Carrera and Olivia Tang, and Sammy Yu, respectively. Kris hires Nate Reynolds to break her father’s engagement, but ends up falling for him instead. Rounding out Farrah’s trio, her best friend Olivia ends up with her husband’s best friend/Crumble and Bake founder Sammy at the end of the series.
Twisted Love follows Farrah’s cousin, Ava Chen, a Crumble and Bake-loving student, who falls for her brother’s best friend, Alex Volkov. The rest of the series follows the love lives of Ava’s friend group: Bridget von Ascheberg, Jules Ambrose, and Stella Alonso. While Jules ultimately falls for Ava’s brother, Josh Chen, Bridget falls for her bodyguard, Rhys Larsen. Rhys scores Jules and Stella an apartment in his friend/business associate Christian Harper’s highly secure apartment building. There, Jules forms a business relationship with Christian, later helping him propose to Stella.
The most major connection between Twisted and Kings of Sin is the close working relationship between Christian and Dante Russo. At the beginning of the series, Dante enters an arranged marriage with Vivian Lau to protect his brother, Luca. However, Dante and Vivian’s business arrangement fades into real love. Vivian is close friends with Isabella Valencia, Alessandra Davenport, and Sloane Kensington, the leads of the next three books.
First, we meet Isabella, who falls for Dante’s friend Kai Young. Then, we meet Alessandra who falls out of love with her husband, Dominic, a business man who forgets their anniversary over a decade after they first met in college at Thayer University. As Alessandra and Dominic get back together, Sloane falls for her PR client, Xavier Castillo. Xavier starts a business with Vuk Markovic that’s burned down by Dominic’s foster brother, Roman, who is doing the bidding of The Brotherhood.
However, Roman and Vuk work it out in the remix, taking down the current heads of The Brotherhood together. This is all while Sloane’s PR client, Ayana Kidane, is engaged to Vuk’s best friend, Jordan Ford. Ultimately, Ayana and Jordan (who were never actually in love) break their engagement so that she can be with Vuk. However, we do meet another one of Sloane’s clients, Maya Singh, at Ayana’s bachelorette party. Maya becomes besties with Ayana and tells her about her long-standing rival (and future love interest) Sebastian Laurent.
Sloane’s PR business also leads us into Gods of the Game, which follows her client Asher Donovan. Asher falls in love with his rival’s sister, Scarlett DuBois. The next book in the series is set to follow Scarlett’s brother, Vincent DuBois, and her best friend, Brooklyn Armstrong.
See why we needed a map?
Major Connection: Thayer University
The majority of Twisted takes place at Thayer University in Washington, D.C. While we don’t have an exact location for Thayer, we do know that it is near Ava’s favorite bakery, Crumble and Bake (opened by Sammy Yu), as well as the Kidane family’s Ethiopian restaurant, which is frequented by Princess Bridget von Ascheberg.
Every lead in the Twisted series has attended Thayer University besides Rhys Larsen and Christian Harper. Notably, we also know two sets of freshman year roommates, Alex Volkov and Josh Chen (a pairing orchestrated by Alex), and Ava Chen and Jules Ambrose (luck of the draw).
Throughout Kings of Sin, we learn a few more characters have connections to the university: Alessandra and Dominic Davenport originally met at Thayer, and Vuk Markovic and Ayana Kidane’s former fiancé, Jordan Ford, became friends during their time at the university.
Major Connection: Valhalla Club
In a universe full of billionaires, it’s no wonder the New York chapter of an exclusive nightclub for the world’s wealthiest and most powerful men is a hotspot in the series.
The Valhalla club’s members include: Twisted characters Alex Volkov and Christian Harper, as well as Kings of Sin‘s Dante Russo, Kai Young, Dominic Davenport, Xavier Castillo, Vuk Markovic, and Sebastian Laurent.
Dante, Kai, and Xavier are legacy members who come from the club’s founding families. We also know that Dante, Kai, and Vuk are on the membership committee, where Vuk is both the head of the committee and the managing director.
Major Connection: Kensington PR
In King of Sloth, we see a window into Sloane Kensington’s public relations firm, known for handling difficult clients. Kensington PR works with nepo baby Xavier Castillo, Premier League football star Asher Donovan, and model Ayana Kidane.
Other celebrities that exist in this circle are fashion designer Stella Alonso (who often works with Ayana Kidane) and actor Nate Reynolds.
Major Connection: Magda
It wouldn’t be an Anaverse breakdown without answering the frequently asked question: Where is Magda?
Short answer: Gone.
Long answer: In Twisted Lies, we find out that Magda, the (supposedly ugly) painting at the heart of the last two books in the Twisted series was painted by Magda Harper, Christian’s mother. Years later, the painting was bought by Josh Chen, who was roasted by his then enemies-with-benefits Jules Ambrose for hanging such an unattractive piece of art. Jules is then blackmailed by Christian’s business rivals to steal the painting from Josh. However, she is able to return the painting to Josh with Christian’s help, in return for a favor somewhere down the line. Speaking of favors, Christian cashes one in with Dante Russo, who buys the painting off of Josh. Finally, Christian burns his mother’s painting.
As for the favor Jules owes to Christian? According to Huang’s website, “She helped with his proposal. This was originally a scene in Twisted Lies, but [Huang] cut it because the book was already quite long.”
Bonus! Alex Volkov's Chess Partner Confirmed
IYKYK ;)
