Story-⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Spice-🔥🔥🔥🔥

The queen of dark academia does it again. A thrilling story with complex characters with dark undertones searching for their place in the world.

Two lost souls, looking for lost souls. Entwined in pain and loss, they are both caught up in the plans of a secret society that will stop at nothing to continue their devious rituals.

Salem is determined to find out what happened to her sister and unravel the secrets of Mortimer University. Her knack for forensics and being able to stay nearly invisible, gives her an edge to finding out what dark deeds are going on behind the scenes. Although she's not as invisible as she has led herself to believe.

Caz, a mysterious and possibly crazed teacher's assistant takes notice of her right away and does everything he can to stand in her way. His motives are unknown and his behavior hedges on the deranged side.

The tension as always is unhinged and fuels the story so well. Both characters have sky high walls that they are not willing to descend for anyone. Yet Caz's fire melts Salem's fortress of ice and Salem's cold heart simmers Caz's inferno to smoldering embers. Their chemistry is white hot, and their banter and whit match it beautifully.

I am so thankful to have been able to read this and dive into another story by Ru.

It’s always so refreshing to read new RuNyx words!!! But like always, I struggle to put my thoughts into words to ever do them justice.

Enigma is a dark, secret society, legacy family, murder mystery romance all set in a mysterious university, full of secrets and lost souls.

It’s one you need to read with a blank canvas and an open heart. It will have you questioning everything, eager to understand the world and its hidden agendas and melting at the connections found along the way.

Caz and Salem are undeniably made for each other and their chemistry reads off the page so beautifully. He’s your typical ‘touch her and die’, completely obsessive alpha and she’s there to challenge him every single step of the way. I absolutely loved them!

The only thing I wanted more from this book.. was for it to be longer!🤣 I could read about their past, present and future and all the mysteries forever.

If you’re looking for mystery with a touch of gothic thriller and heaps of sexy but swoon worthy romance, look no further!!!

There’s few things that make me feel in my element and a gothic book by RuNyx is one of them.

Thank you @brambleromance @authorrunyx for the arc!!🖤

We have been blessed yet again with a mysterious dark college castle setting by the one who knows to write it best 🙂‍↕️
Ru managed to give us the same thing she always does yet so different! Salem is like no fmc we’ve seen from her before, bolder. Caz is like a mix of all four Dark Verse Men, also bolder. And boy did he have a mouth on him 🥵

What stood out to me is the focus on Salem’s inner thoughts, more of her plotting to avenge and unravel secrets than the romance. Which felt like a breath of fresh air.
As the spice in this case felt perfectly balanced. Oh when i did get to the spice i was practically a puddle on the floor because YES to well written unharmful DARK spice!!

To sum it up, Enigma shows you the truth of human curiosity and how our darkness shines best in the dark, when no one is around. Or, when the right person is.

At the same time, some things felt… weird. That they make no sense to why they’re happening.
To me, it felt like we were told things more than showed.
So it’s safe for me to say that Gothikana remains my #1 RuNyx book but Enigma deserves all the hype as it’s a good time, well paced, and keeps you on the edge of your seat!

one thing I never thought I'd find myself reading is dark academia gothic romance. but when it's paired with a layered and artistic mmc and an emotionally guarded and loner fmc, i might as well give it a chance. in general, i'm a fan of runyx which is why i also read gothikana.

the romance side of things start off fairly strong, a good push and pull development of rivals to lovers, but i found the murder mystery side of the storyline seemed to drag me in even more. runyx's writing is simple beautiful and encapsulating with raw emotion - she quite literally was born to be a writer. each character's arc is very visibly well thought out and executed effortlessly and intimately.

all in all, this was a pretty good read. i've been finding myself more and more selective with what i read, and dnfing books at the first sight of disinterest and this kept me intrigued through all 400 odd pages.

arc recieved in exchange for an honest review.

Salem is peculiar to those in her family and to most others in general. She’s had an appreciation, respect, and curiosity for the macabre even as a child. There’s a fascination with death that breeds this morbid obsession within her for answers and closure. But there’s a particular death she is obsessed with above all others: her sister. Two years ago her sister tragically and unexpectedly died at the Mortimer university and after digging a bit deeper, Salem uncovers 10 student deaths in the last 10 years and she’s dead set on figuring out what the actual fuck is going on at this school. There she crosses paths with Caz who is this mysterious and talented artist who just showed up out of the blue to the school and has since taken the art program by storm. They are both enigmas to the world but to each other they find out just how perfectly their darkness fits together.

That’s all I’m going to say about the plot because in true RuNyx fashion, Enigma has this eerie atmosphere with a slow burn tension that builds and builds until you feel like you’re choking on it. Because of this I think it’s best to go in knowing as little as possible (obviously check TW/CWs though). There are a few authors that give me butterflies when I start a new book that they’ve written and RuNyx is at the top of that list. I know many readers fly through her books and I understand why. But there’s something about letting yourself slowly sink into a RuNyx book until you can’t pace yourself any longer and you can’t put it down and then bam you’ve finished it. Enigma is a beautifully written romance about two very lonely people coming together amidst chaotic and haunting mysteries and secrets. It’s about the storm, the dark meeting the light, and finding out what it means to live.

5⭐️
3.5🔥

What to expect:
University setting
MF
Dark & suspenseful
Investigating sus deaths
He’s an artist with tattoos
Dark academia
Weird rivals to lovers
“Let me paint you”
Secret society
Only one sleeping bag
He can wield a pencil for both pain and pleasure

I have been waiting for these vibes since I read Gothikana and RuNyx delivered again. The dark misty academia vibes were there. With a hit of mystery and a super spicy, artistic MMC. Heavy on the romance here, this book did wrap up fast at the end. Beautiful writing!

I'm not entirely sure how to write my review for this one. I didn't love it or hate it. I enjoyed how the book immediately opened on a dark and intense scene. Which in some ways set the tone and premise for the book. I thought the dark academia theme overall was well laid out. Secret societies, murders, secrets. I found myself entertained at some parts, engrossed in others, but there was a lot of stop and go in the pacing which would take me out of the book from time to time. Or some scenes or conversations, which made me pause. I also liked the romance and chemistry between the FMC and MMC, but felt it was all over the place and felt rushed in a way that didn't match the rest of the book.

It's been a week and two whole rereads later and I still don't quite know how to adequately review this book. Probably because it proved to be an infinitely more personal experience than I had anticipated (although I should have known better after what Gothikana did to me), but also, I find that RuNyx sort of defies description most of the time. Reading her books - and Enigma is no exception to what is rapidly becoming the rule for me - is a metamorphic experience. I always leave a RuNyx book feeling altered at some deep, molecular level. If Gothikana spoke my language and made me feel unnervingly seen, Enigma built upon that by shedding even more layers away.

The theme of loneliness is poignant in this book and the way RuNyx captures even that feeling of internal isolation when one is amongst a crowd felt like being sliced open and gutted at times. Sounds awful when I put it like that, I know, but I suppose I'm trying to elucidate how deeply it resonated with me. And not just that yawning ache of loneliness, but the yearning as well - especially once Salem (and even Caz) start getting tastes of the peace and sense of bone-deep safety and satisfaction amongst the thrill of agonizing sexual tension and bourgeoning new love.

If that yearning wasn't addictive enough on its own, it's amplified by the off-the-charts tension and chemistry between Salem and Caz. RuNyx does an excellent job at capturing what honestly feels like alchemy between these two - just pure, deliciously dark magic that simultaneously feel forbidden and pure. The juxtaposition between Caz's intensity and borderline madness when it comes to Salem, and Salem's well-contained internal fire hidden beneath layers and layers of glacial ice sets the groundwork for some explosive moments between the pair. It takes them time to finally get on the same page as one another emotionally - in large part owed to the exterior conflict surrounding them - but I don't know how else to describe it except that it's SO GOOD.

I feel like this part encapsulates it best:

"𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬."

"𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬?"

"𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮," 𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡. "𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐰."

"𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫?"

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞.

"𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬, 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐦," 𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲. "𝐌𝐲 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞."

"𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞?" 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫.

𝐇𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞. "𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝. 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞. 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐨𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈'𝐦 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮." 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲. "𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐞, 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐩."

Caz may be an enigma to Salem, but this book is no enigma to me. Aching loneliness. Unfathomable yearning. Intensity that borders on madness. And a love that makes both parties feel seen, safe, and satisfied. The only real puzzle as it relates to this book is the secondary murder-mystery plot. But the true heart of Enigma - the relationship between Salem and Caz - makes perfect sense to me. And like I said at the start - it resonates.

Enigma is such a beautiful book and an exquisite study of the depths loneliness can take us, but also the heights that love (and not just romantic, but platonic/friendship as well) can send one soaring over it all. From the tallest peaks to the deepest depths. And more than that, it's also a study of how some people - the strongest ones - learn to coexist with that loneliness without allowing it to completely destroy them. Salem stands as a testament of that. Does her earlier loneliness leave her riddled with invisible scars and impact her present existence? Of course. But it also shaped her into something that made her the literal perfect fit for Caz and what he desperately needed as well (and vice versa).

Loneliness can shape a person, but it doesn't have to define them. And that's what I took away from this book. That there's always hope for the hopeless, if they'd just have a moment of bravery to open their eyes and reach out to grab it.

𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝, 𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞.

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐤, 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐨, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 - 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒆.

𝑹𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆.

Audience: Adult
Plot: 3.75 out of 5
Characters: 3.75 out of 5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ out of 5
Keywords: Dark, Romance, Academia, Secret Society, Death, Forensic, Murder Investigation, Family loss
Tea Pairing: Fog Cutter (Irish breakfast with hint of lemon) by Plum Deluxe, for those intense lectures with Professor Merlin.

Favorite Quotes
“I want to be the only villain you see. I want to be the only devil that drags you to hell” (chapter 30)
“He was her drug of choice, and she was delirious for him” (Chapter 33)
“Death was still inevitable, but life was more beautiful somehow because of it”

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley from Bramble / Tor Publishing Group; and audiobook from Macmillan Audio. Thank you! All opinions are my own.

Enigma tells the story of Salem Salazar as she attends Mortimer University to investigate the death of her sister Olivia. Salem is not convinced that her sister committed suicide, and so begins piecing the puzzle together. During her studies and the investigation, she meets Caz van der Waal, a mysterious art student and TA to psychology professor Merlin. Suspicious of each other, the two find out they share more in common than they think.

The pacing, character arcs, and plot were all very captivating. This romance had such a unique twist that I couldn’t put this book down. The novel is told in dual POV, with Salem and Caz. However, the majority of the novel is told from Salem’s pov (it’s about 80-20). I almost wanted a little bit more from Caz’s perspective, but I think not having much added to his mysterious personality. The audiobook narration was also very well produced. The narrators did an excellent job capturing the characters.

Overall, I enjoyed this story — it was deliciously dark and captivating. Readers who enjoyed Gothikana are sure to enjoy Enigma.

Please note that this ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this with an open mind, not knowing whay to expect. I felt it started a bit slow, but the core themes of the book were very interesting. The setting of an exclusive university for the upper echelon - secret societies that have dark and possibly sinful histories…. It builds a great story. My favorite part of the book was Salem. The development of her character and the peeling away of her hard exterior to find the vulnerability and history beneath was fantastic. I also loved the chemistry between Salem and Caz.

I felt that the ending landed just a bit flat - it wasnt the explosive ending that I expected but overall the book was still very good.

4/5 stars

Enigma is a slow-burn dark academia masterpiece—woven with secret societies, haunting mysteries, and an enemies-to-lovers romance that simmers beneath every shadowed hallway. The atmosphere is thick with cryptic whispers and eerie tension, wrapping you in the chilling secrets of Mortimer like a velvet fog.

Salem appears, at first, to be a wallflower. Withdrawn, quiet, shaped by an isolating childhood and a family that never quite understood her. But make no mistake—she is no delicate bloom. Beneath the surface lies a fierce, cunning, and brilliant young woman determined to uncover the truth behind her sister’s death. Her resilience burns quietly, but powerfully.

Then there’s Caz—irresistible, enigmatic, and the very definition of a tortured artist. The way he sees Salem, how he listens, understands, and validates her existence—it’s utterly breathtaking. His protectiveness doesn’t smother her; it shields. His love is not soft, but consuming. And it’s everything Salem has longed for: to be seen, heard, chosen. He is her one.

While the enemies-to-lovers tension hums subtly beneath the surface, their connection feels deeper—like a recognition, a reunion of two fractured souls. It’s not insta-lust or a fleeting spark. It’s a slow, magnetic pull between two people who find solace, strength, and healing in one another.

Enigma is the kind of book you read on a gray, rainy afternoon, wrapped in a blanket, a fire crackling nearby. It’s haunting. It lingers. In true RuNyx fashion, the prose is lyrical, the suspense relentless, and the emotional payoff—undeniably worth every page.

Secret society, mysterious men, and a dark academia setting?? Sign me right up!

I really enjoyed Enigma and the story of Caz and Salem. The enemies to lovers vibe was great and I enjoyed the pacing of the story. Kept just enough of a slow burn but fast enough pace to keep me interested. Definitely going to read more from RuNyx in the future.

Dark academy? Dead bodies? Sign me up!

I received a free copy of Enigma by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

NO SPOILERS!

Salem enrolls into Mortimer University to find out what happened to her missing older sister Olivia. While on the case she meets Cazimir, an artist, who is mysterious with a dark past. Together they investigate the deaths at Mortimer University.

Enigma was way better than Gothikana in my opinion and I liked Gothikana. I love it when an author gets better with every book rather than staying stagnant.

Salem is on the spectrum and I love it. I loved the analytical way she thinks about things and I feel her pain being the black sheep of her family. Cazimir has the artist bad boy vibe I'm a sucker for. I really enjoyed his character.

The mystery was well done and unlike Gothikana this is a true dark academia. There's a focus on the arts, higher education, secret societies, and architecture. The pacing was good. The writing was better. I enjoyed myself. There is some dub-con in here but it didn’t bother me.

Great job RunYx!

Whether or not you are a fan of Gothikana, I would definitely give this a try if it’s your thing.

This book has a mix of secret society, dark academia, rivals to lovers and gothic vibes. As usual I want to go running to where this book is based out of because the setting is amazing! There is suspense, who did it, danger in the dark, and a love story.

Salem, the FMC, is an odd creature for sure. She loves all things related to death, and is going to school for forensic pathology.

Caz is the true Enigma of this story. He is hot, tatted up, and mysterious AF. No one knows much about him at all.

This book is something truly spectacular. I can't even begin to express my feelings while for this book for its dark academia at its best...

Quotes:
"'Salem had always thought nothing could beat death, that nothing could be immortal. She'd been wrong. Love, deep, true love, was immortal."

"He continued drinking from her, a starved beast falling upon a feast, A Lord of barren lands sipping from the lady of nectar, a man in the shadows dancing with a woman who knew darkness, claiming her mouth right out in the open for the world to see."

Unfortunately, I ended up DNFing this one 46% in. I wasn’t feeling a strong connection to the plot and what was happening/being uncovered, or the characters and getting this far into it was such a drag I found myself dreading picking up my Kindle. The writing felt a little clunky and awkward, and I didn’t particularly enjoy either MC.
Maybe in the future I might try this one again but for now it was best I didn’t force it.

Je n’ai pas les mots pour l’histoire de Caz et Salem. Runyx a le don d’écrire des livres uniques, qui nous plongent dans un atmosphère mystérieux et enchanteur. J’ai aimé de la première page à la dernière page de cette lecture, c’était tout ce que j’attendais dans une nouvelle histoire écrite par mon autrice préférée.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. This was a bingeable read that I kept wanting to read but the way the mystery aspect was handled… the ending just felt like a let down. Add in the grammar and sentence structure and I’m not sure how to rate it. I started off thinking 4 stars and now hovering more at 3 stars, probably a realistic rating is 3-3.5. I would try another book by the author as the start was strong

I hate to say it, but this book just wasn't for me. I really love this author and am a passionate fan of some of her other works, but this story ultimately fell short. For a "dark romance," it sure felt saccharine sweet, and the mystery wasn't very compelling either.

Initially, I did connect with the main character. Salem's vulnerability and voice drew me in at first., but as the story progressed, her development stalled. The narrative began to feel repetitive, as she cycled through the same set of insecurities and internal conflicts without much real growth. Rather than evolving organically, her emotional journey felt like a checklist of fears being ticked off.

The supporting characters didn’t fare much better. They felt flat and one-dimensional, often serving more as props to move the plot forward than as fully realized individuals. Their motivations were either too transparent or too underexplored to be believable, which made it hard to invest in their relationships or the stakes of the story.

As much as I wanted to love this book, it simply didn’t deliver the depth, tension, or complexity I’ve come to expect from Runyx. That said, I’m still very much a fan of her previous work and will continue to read whatever she writes next. This one just wasn’t for me.

Salem Salazar comes to Mortimer University to get to the bottom of her sister's mysterious death. There, obsessed with forensics, she discovers there have been a lot more unexplained deaths on the campus. Her search leads her down a dark and dangerous path to a secret society and to Caz.
Cazimir van der Waal is himself another mystery to unravel. Is he just an art student, a man living a double life, or a murderer? While also at the university seeking answers for his brother's death, Caz has a lot more to him than meets the eye.
Secret forces are at play in Mortimer and no one is safe. As Salem tries to go under the radar and Caz tries to block her path, somehow, they both end up in the crossfire of a powerful, secret society. They are forced to work together to discover the truth or risk losing their lives.
Loved this even more than Gothikana! RuNyx is one of my new favs!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Bramble for this digital e-arc.*

I first fell in love with RuNyx through Gothikana, so when I received this ARC, it felt like fate.

The story begins with a strong hook as we meet Salem, whose fascination with death—especially her sister’s—is what draws her to the same prestigious university her sister once attended. There, she meets the enigmatic Cazimir Van der Waal (Vanguard), and their chemistry simmers until it erupts into passion and possession.

But this book isn’t just about romance; it delves into mysterious deaths, secret societies, hidden truths, and shocking revelations. As Salem and Caz navigate the dark undercurrents of the university, they are forced to confront secrets that could threaten everything, including their burgeoning relationship.

As much as I enjoyed this book, I felt it left untapped potential. Salem’s interest in forensic science and her emotions surrounding her sister’s death could have been explored further. While the beginning had incredible momentum, the focus shifted heavily to the romance, with the plot falling into the background. The height of the drama could have been extended, adding more tension and suspense to keep the stakes high.

That said, RuNyx’s writing remains as beautiful as ever—poetic, vivid, and atmospheric without being overly descriptive. They truly capture the gothic dark academia vibe that feeds my soul, and I hope they continue to create stories in this vein.