5/5✨ 3/5🔥 5/5🎧

“𝐁𝐞𝐠 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐩,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬. “𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧.”

Yall! I absolutely DEVOURED this book. I’m so utterly obsessed with Caz and Salem and this world.. I want to dive back in and never leave!🖤

Salem has always been drawn to the darker macabre things in life and is going to university to become a forensic scientist. While she’s there she is also investigating her sister’s death from two years ago. And while digging into that, she uncovers several other deaths on campus that seem to all be linked together.

Caz is the campus hottie who showed up out of the blue. He’s also an artist and has taken the arts program by storm with his interesting and dark paintings.

I absolutely LOVED their chemistry and the push and pull. Their relationship was absolutely everything and more. I don’t want to say too much about the book so it doesn’t get ruined and I def think going in blind is the way to go for this one. But just know you’re in for something truly amazing!

If you’re a fan of:
🖤 Dark Academia
☠️ Secret Societies
🎨 He Wants To Paint Her
🪶 University Setting
🕯️ Enemies To Lovers
🖤 Atmospherical Reads
☠️ Murder Mystery Vibes
🎨 Both Jealous & Possessive
🪶 “Mine”
🕯️ Spicy & Swoony
🖤 FMC Obsessed W/ Death
☠️ Touch Her & Dies Vibes
🎨 Slow Burn

then I highly recommend checking this one out!🖤

“𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥. 𝐒𝐡𝐞’𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠. 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩, 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥.”

While I did not hate this book and mostly enjoyed it while I was reading it, I didn't love it as much as I hoped I would. I wanted to connect and care about the characters more than I did and the mystery felt a bit predictable and anticlimactic. The writing was good and very atmospheric so I will probably read another book by this author, this one just wasn't for me.

Great writing style but I couldn't get into the grove of this one. Though i heard it gets really great and is more into the plot than the romance.

Runyx just knows how to write a captivating dark academia!! I love Gothikhana and this was no different! The romance, the twists and turns all had me turning to the next page!!

OH MY GOSH, this book had me in a total CHOKEHOLD. I loved Salem & Caz so dang much! This was the perfect blend of dark academia, gothic romance, and suspense and I couldn’t put it down

The vibes and aesthetic of this book were excellent. I love a good dark academia setting and when combined with a secret society and romance, this should have been a slam dunk five star book for me. Unfortunately, I struggled with the pacing of this book - there was so much that was crammed into just a few pages, a lot more info dumps than I would have preferred, and the ending was a underwhelming. The romance also fell flat for me. It started off with promise; there was banter but Salem and Coz never developed the chemistry that made me believe in or root for them.

I’m sure I won’t be the first to say that the writing in these books is perhaps not the best, though I wonder if some of that may be a translation issue.

I’ll give RuNyx credit for this: She’s good at building a setting, and somehow these always feel likable despite being loaded down with cringey, open-door romance and sex scenes.

That’s not to my taste and I understand from others who do enjoy this that it is not particularly well done here, but for the most part this stuff is also easy to ignore in favor the more plotty and atmospheric aspects of the book.

RuNyx is a better character writer than she gets credit for, at least in the sense of creating interesting and sympathetic protagonists, even if the male love interest is always a tropey, eye-roll of a person.

I didn’t mind the mystery here and while I thought the setting and sense of place were far better rendered in Gothikana, there’s some solidly done atmosphere here. In short, these are fun as long as you go in not expecting too much.

This was the perfect gloomy day read. I loved the storyline and the tension !! The pining!! Everything !

Not as good as book one but yes please! I love this author, Gothikana is my favorite but still this series is my next!

This book was an enigma and I'm still sorting out my feelings about it. Overall though I enjoyed the ride?

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

Good, spicy dark academia. I enjoyed this book, and originally thought it was a sequel, but it is a standalone.

WOW. What can I say? I devoured this title and it was everything I wanted it to be and more. The setting, the characters - loved every word. Can't wait to see what RuNyx has next!

As alway RuNyx’s writing is just impeccable. I am constantly amazed by how she transports me to a different world with every book. The dark academia setting, the murder myster, the slow burn tension and the secret society intrigue were so well done.

The dedication of this book hit me hard. I felt seen and it immediately made me feel connected to Salem’s journey.

From the first chapter, I was captivated. Salem and Caz have such intense chemistry, and I loved how their relationship evolved especially how Caz made her feel loved and cherished after so much emotional deprivation. I absolutely loved his obsession with her and the way he is soo possessive and unhinged!

I can't wait to reread this in Autumn and fully immerse myself back into the dark academia atmosphere and Mortimer world all over again 🖤.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯.

Enigma is a beautifully twisted story that had me hooked from the very first chapter. This book is layered in mystery, obsession, longing, grief, and those stolen moments of softness that sneak up on you when you least expect it.

Caz and Salem’s connection is magnetic. His cold, unreadable exterior and her guarded, grief-wrapped heart made every interaction feel electric. He’s brutal and brilliant, she’s sharp and quietly aching—and together? Absolute chaos in the best way. The slow-burn tension, the secret society shadows, the shared trauma, it all just works!

RuNyx pours so much emotion into this. Knowing she wrote it while grieving makes the story hit differently. There’s pain on the page, but also life, curiosity, and a desperate need to feel. And this book is HOT. Caz might just be my favourite Ru MMC to date, and that’s saying something. His backstory hurt

If you love...
🖤 Dark academia + gothic vibes
🖤 Morally grey, painter MMCs
🖤 Crime-obsessed, lonely heroines
🖤 Found family + slow burn spice
This one will ruin you (in a good way).

5⭐ and already lining it up for a reread.

I was such a big fan of Gothikana, so when I found out Runyx was coming out with another book with a dark academia setting, I was so excited! And while Gothikana immediately drew me in, had me entranced and unable to put it down, Enigma unfortunately did the opposite. I was immediately put off by the insta lust, I mean we are talking the first chapter or two. I didn’t feel a connection at all to either of the MC’s. Another thing is the writing feels different to me. Maybe I just didn’t notice it when I read Gothikana, but I definitely noticed it when I tried reading the Dark Verse series - I don’t much care for the writing style, the over description of things specifically. It feels like a lot of emphasis is being put on things that don’t require it, and I find myself just wanting her to get to the point. Because of all of this, I sadly wasn’t invested in the characters, the mystery, or story as a whole. I can understand why others may like this book and be drawn to it, and I’m so glad I’ve seen so many people love it! I think that personally, the tropes and the writing just isn’t for me and it made it very difficult to want to pick this book up and keep reading. Thank you so much NetGalley and Tor publishing for providing me with an arc for this book!

✨ Publication date: April 29, 2025✨

Enigma is a steamy dark academia book by RuNyx. This is my second book by this author and I’m still hooked! I love their writing style and ability to weave the past and present and focus on characters that don’t fit mainstream romance novels!

Salem Salazar is heading into her first year as a student at the exclusive Mortimer University. Salem comes from a legend family but her history is slightly tainted after her sister goes missing from this very campus and her father’s less than legendary history.

Salem is obsessed with death, in a clinical way. Specializing in criminology and Sciences at school, she’s determined to find out what really happened to her sister she discovers her sister isn’t the only student go missing.

Caz has disguised himself as a Teachers Assistant while he majors in art that is a great mystery to many Mortimer students and teachers. While his art is important, Caz is determined to find out what happened to his brother who went missing from this campus a year ago.

Caz and Salem make an unlikely partnership but soon they will discover that they are investigating the same thing and working together ignited the chemistry between them.

As they discover secret societies and learn to trust each other, everything isn’t quite as it seems at Mortimer University.

Loved this book! It definitely deals with sensitive topics though (suicide, parent death, sexual assault) so check the trigger warnings before reading. This was a 4 star read for me and I’m definitely looking forward to what’s next by this author.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #RuNyx #Enigma

This is the second book I've read by this author, and I've seen a ton of people rave about this authors books and I've always been intrigued. Overall I enjoyed this story. It was a rough start for me, very slow and I almost gave up but wanted to see how it ended. And it did get a bit better to allow me to finish. I got a ton of Wednesday Addams vibes from the main character, which I enjoyed.

Caz was an intriguing character and I'm glad we got a few chapters with his viewpoint. I also like that Salem grew more into herself and allowed her to open up to more people in her life. Her childhood was full of a void when it came to love and affection.

I'm glad i got the chance to read this book!

This book was really enjoyable, and I think it will be a hit at my library! I was addicted the entire time and couldn’t put it down.

Enigma is not your average dark romance — it's a psychological tug-of-war laced with secrets, emotional whiplash, and slow-burning tension that keeps you guessing. Runyx has a way of writing morally gray characters that somehow crawl under your skin and stay there. You may not always agree with their choices, but you feel them deeply.

From the very beginning, there’s a simmering undercurrent of unease. The relationship at the center is complicated — equal parts obsession, pain, longing, and reluctant vulnerability. There’s a constant push-pull that makes the romance feel dangerous but magnetic. If you like your romance with sharp edges, this one delivers.

I went into Enigma not entirely sure what to expect, but I was curious. I can see why so many readers are hooked on RuNyx’s brand of dark romance. The setup is intense, the characters are magnetic, and the slow drip of secrets definitely kept me turning pages. There were parts I liked: the tension, the mystery, and the emotional backstories that hinted at something deeper beneath all the brooding. I also appreciated that the heroine had agency, even when the situation around her felt chaotic or dangerous. That said, I didn’t love everything. Some moments veered a little too far into melodrama for me, and there were a few dynamics that didn’t quite sit right. They were not necessarily deal-breakers, but enough to pull me out of the story. I think this book will work better for readers who are fully on board with morally grey characters and don’t mind a little mess along the way. Overall, intriguing but not a perfect fit for me. I get the appeal—I’m just not sure I’m the target audience.