Loved the dynamics between the FMC and the MMC.
It was so interesting to see all the twists and turns this story took you through.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. The narrators were great and made the story very enjoyable. I loved the gothic vibe of the book and I'm a sucker for a good dark acedemia setting. The murder mystery element really kept me intrigued and wanting to know more. I'm usually an enemies to lovers girlie but have learned I really also enjoy the rivals to lovers trope as well. I'm a fan of RuNyx's other books and this one did not dissapoint for me. I can't wait to read more books from this author.

This is a slow burn dark romance I liked a lot! It sucked me in and kept me engaged the entire time. Also, I liked the writing style, where in Gothikana's writing style was not for me at all! The plot was good, but the ending was kinda rushed and underwhelming. If this sounds good to you, please look up triggers before picking it up. It's a dark romance and discusses heavy and dark topics.

As for the audiobook, it was excellent. Highly recommend it.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the ebook and audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This started out so exciting and interested and then boy was I bored for the entire thing and then it just ended. Make the beginning plot match the book pleaseeeeee it would be amazing

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. The narration was great though and I really liked the dual narrators.

Enigma by Runyx - Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for an advanced listener copy. My opinions are my own.

Initial Thoughts:

Enigma is my first novel by Runyx, although I’ve heard positive reviews about her Dark Verse series. The cover immediately drew my eye, and the premise made me drop everything else on my TBR list. I love gothic romance, and it has several tropes I generally enjoy, like:
Dark academia
Secret societies
Enemies-to-lovers
Persephone/Hades dynamic
Standalone

Plot Summary:

Salem Salazar knows that her perfect sister would not have committed suicide and is determined to investigate her death. In an attempt to discover the truth, she enrolls at Mortimer, where she uncovers that her sister is just one in a series of young women who’ve died at the prestigious university. Desperate for the truth, Salem decides to use herself as bait.

Cazimir van der Waal is the dark, mysterious, sexy, brooding artist. He has secrets, and like Salem, he has his own agenda. He’s also the TA in Salem’s psych class, where their verbal sparring intensifies their rivalry. Eventually, their rivalry transforms into obsession, but can Caz risk everything he’s worked for?

The beginning of the book lived up to my expectations, and I was captivated by the vibes surrounding Mortimer and the mysterious death of the FMC's sister. Caz is damaged, deranged, and stalker-ish, but I was intrigued by him. Salem is cold, sarcastic, and obsessed with death, and the tension between her and Caz was electric. The Narration by Aiden Snow and Jaclyn Kelso was superb. Unfortunately, the second half of the book nullified the brilliant first half. The plot veered off in so many directions and tried to do too many things at once. The slow burn and tension between Salem and Caz fell flat for me, and I even replayed a few chapters to see if I missed something. The ending was rushed and didn’t do justice to the buildup in the first half of the book.

I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it. I thought the book had a lot of potential, but I was eventually disappointed in the romance and the multiple directions the plot took. I will still give the Dark Verse series a try.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn't right for me. It was slow to start and just didn't grab me so I'm sorry to say it was a DNF for me.

This story was definitely more character based rather than plot, even though the plot was always lingering in the background it was often back burnered, which I didn’t necessarily mind. I think Salem and Caz were pretty layered and detailed as characters, but side characters like Aditi, Melissa, and Baron were very two dimensional. We only really got the barest details of their lives and I correlated that to Salem’s struggles with learning how to be friends with someone, but even in the epilogue their life updates were very vague. The culmination of the action was concluded very quickly too, and we have no idea what happened to any of them (presumably they kicked the bucket) but it still feels a little too open for me considering this is a standalone. The atmosphere was dark and moody like every Runyx book and I loved it! Even the narrators really manipulated their voices to give off that gravelly aloof tone Caz and Salem’s characters gave off.

Absolutely captivating. The slow burn of secrets and revelations is handled beautifully, and the characters feel fully realized, with layers you only discover as the story unfolds. The writing has a lyrical quality, and the atmosphere pulled me right in. There are a few twists that genuinely caught me off guard without ever feeling cheap. I finished it feeling both satisfied and wanting more of this world.

An absoulety gorgeous narration for Enigma! It was everything I needed and more. Atmospheric, moody, and sincere.
This book will live in my head rent free forever. Having the audiobook added a layer of realism that made it all the more special!!

5/5

🧩 A mind-bending ride wrapped in mystery and soaked in suspense...

Enigma lives up to its name—this story is a puzzle you don’t want to solve too quickly. With a plot that dances between secrets and surprises, it kept me hooked from page one. The characters are layered and complex, each with their own secrets and motivations, and just when you think you’ve got it figured out... BAM! Another twist hits you like a cipher you didn’t see coming.

The pacing is sharp, the atmosphere tense, and the emotional stakes? High enough to make your heart do a little Morse code of its own.

Whether you're a fan of slow-burn tension, layered mysteries, or stories where intelligence is just as sexy as danger, Enigma delivers. Highly recommend for anyone who likes to think while they read—and feel just a little wrecked afterward.

If you love your books with Dark, spooky setting, secret society and murder mystery and sizzling romance go as head and add this to your tbr. I absolutely enjoyed the story and I thought the narrators did a fantastic job. If you love obsessive, artsy unhinged mmcs and quirky fmcs this might be the book for you. the ending was a bit disappointing because it was underwhelming but I still enjoyed the story. If you want your dark academia with more plot you might not like this. Overall I think I kept reading the story because of the narrators they did such a great job

It was ok.... there wasn't enough sex in the book for it to be called a dark romance. At first when i started reading it i thought that it sounded a lot like Gothikana. The end was sooo cheesy and cringey, the two epilogues could have been put together or even ledt out all together. Kinda bored me how her father had been a silent hero, and everyone ended up being good and.... it was just a little flat for me.

Thank you for the ARC! A girl attending a prestigious school looking for answers as to how her sister died meets her match in a mysterious, sexy Caz. Overall, I liked the story and how the mystery of a series of deaths was solved, but the ending fell a bit flat. I listened to the audiobook version and liked the narrators, the pacing was good and had enough variation to not be monotonous. Enjoyed this one but was expecting a bit more in the last few chapters.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

3.25⭐️
Overall I think this was a decent dark academia, romance. I don't think the "romance" scenes really added much value to the story (but, hey, I get it 😉) and the crescendo fell a little flat.. it was a too easy to take down the bad guys.

I enjoyed the last part and the epilogue and would have been fine with getting more on how their lives evolved-rather than 5 year (small) increments. Now that would have made the story better (in my opinion, of course).

Thank you to the publisher for the ALC!

This dark gothic romance is everything I could want from a secret society thriller wrapped in an intoxicating love story. Set against the atmospheric backdrop of a prestigious college harboring deadly secrets, this novel masterfully weaves together mystery, romance, and spine-tingling suspense that had me absolutely hooked from the first page.
Our protagonist finds herself drawn into a world far more dangerous and complex than she initially expected. What begins as a personal quest quickly evolves into something much larger, involving family secrets, hidden dangers, and a mysterious society operating in the shadows of the academic world. The dark academic setting provides the perfect gothic atmosphere that permeates every page, creating an immersive experience that kept me reading late into the night.
The real standout of this novel is Caz – and let me tell you, I was completely feral over this man! He's a tortured artist who embodies everything I want in a dark romance ML. He's possessive and mysterious in all the right ways, but what truly sets him apart is his genuine care for the protagonist. The way he helps her through difficult moments heartwarming and swoon-worthy. I literally melted at his tenderness. Their chemistry is electric, building from rivals-to-lovers tension into something truly special. The romantic scenes, particularly one unforgettable altar scene that will live rent-free in my head forever, are written with a perfect balance of heat and emotion.
The plot moves at a breakneck pace, blending murder mystery elements with the romance seamlessly. I genuinely couldn't put this book down once I picked it up. The secret society subplot adds layers of intrigue and danger that keep the stakes high throughout. The gothic atmosphere is maintained beautifully, creating that perfect dark and gloomy ambiance that I absolutely crave in this genre.
The book succeeds as a perfect "vibes read" – one of those novels that captivates you with its atmosphere and characters even if every plot point isn't perfectly executed.
Perfect for fans of: Dark academia, secret societies, gothic romance, rivals-to-lovers, possessive heroes, mystery thrillers
Content warnings: Violence, dark themes
This is definitely a "right book, right time" read that proves sometimes the perfect combination of atmosphere, chemistry, and pacing can overcome minor plot weaknesses. I highly recommend diving into this dark, delicious world – you won't regret it.
I was gifted this ALC from NetGalley.

Love love love this and highly recommend. I liked it even better than Gothikana and had to buy the hardcover with the pretty edges for my shelf (well both of them). Loved the setting, the characters, the intrigue, the spice --- it had everything I'm into as a lover of Zodiac Academy, Phantasma, etc. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy of this Audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review. I appreciate it!

Unevenly paced by overall ,an enjoyable read

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book put the dark in dark academia and I ate it up.
This was a little darker than I am used to, but it did not deter me. I was fascinated by the story line and the characters. Caz is obsessed with Salem and she can’t seem to stay away. If I knew people like this in real life, I would be running far away, but in fiction, bring it on - it’s why we read it, right? The chemistry between them jumps off the page and I could feel it to my marrow. Lots of growling, threats and a darkness that would make most people cower. The image the author paints of the gothic atmosphere was thorough, I felt everything about it including Caz’s paintings - I could almost see them (note: I cannot visualize while reading, so this is feat is a testament to the author’s ability to write detailed descriptions that can be felt.
While this is not a typical read for me, I enjoyed it and would read more. This is my first RuNyx book and will surely not be my last.
The narrators did a brilliant job bringing the characters to life. The male narrator chosen to depict Caz was perfect for the part, sounding exactly like Salem describes. I would have been happy to hear even more from Caz’s perspective to get the listen to that some more.
Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an early copy of the audiobook. The opinions expressed are honest and my own, as well as given freely.