Salem Salazar is attending Mortimer University. An exclusive university for the wealthy and legacies, but hiding sinister secrets behind its prestigious walls. Salem is determined to figure out the unexplainable.
It’s at this university where she meets Caz, the dark and mysterious painter with secrets of his own.
A dark Academia book with unsolved murders, secret societies, and touch her and you die MMC

Ah! This was so good. The cover had me imagining this as a movie in my head in dark colors with blue undertones. I loved the narrators for this audiobook. Would definitely recommend for fans of Gothikana and dark romance lovers! I would also definitely give this a reread with a physical copy.

Thank you to the author RuNyx, publishers, and NetGalley for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

I had a lot of fun listening to this! For starters I love all the names of the characters and places. I really loved the dark academia vibes with the mystery surrounding all the dead girls and Salems mission to find out what happened to them including the death surrounding her sister.

I liked the love interest character, angsty and mysterious. I liked the female audio narrator but I struggle to take the male audio narrator seriously, nothing against him he did a good job, my issue was the fact that he sounded too old / mature to be playing a student my brain couldn’t connect the character with the voice. .

This is a book I also would have really enjoyed reading in physical format so I may go back and do a re read at some point if I can get a physical copy.

Thank you for the gifted copy!

Publish date: April 29th

I am a sucker for a secret society dark romance if it is done right and this my friends was done to perfection!!

This book read like a dark thriller and I was here for it!

We have our FMC, Salem, who attends the same collage as her sister to try to get answers about her sister’s disappearance/death… but she ends up finding out way more than she thought she would.
During our investigation she stumbles onto a secret society, family secrets, and the hidden horrors at this school.
She also stumbles onto Caz but that one isn’t such a bad thing!!!

Y’all when I tell you I was feral over this man!!!!! Caz was everything!!! He was possessive, broody, and mysterious but like in the best way!!!
The way he cared for Salem and helped her through her panic attacks and made her feel safe…. 🫠🫠🫠 I literally melted!!!
Also that alter scene…. Rent free for eternity!!!!! 🥵🥵

All in all I LOVED this book!!!! I highly recommend!!!!

I was gifted this ALC and this is my honest review!
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.

2.5 Stars
I enjoyed the dark academia setting but I found it difficult to connect with these MCs for some reason and the romance felt underdeveloped to me. The secret society stuff and the way this wrapped up was underwhelming and left me a bit unsatisfied.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC!

I think fans of dark romance will like this book more than I ended up liking it. I thought the narrators did an amazing job bringing the characters to life, I’m not sure if the FMC was supposed to be autistic coded, or if I’m just projecting, but that really worked for me.

I found the plot itself to be a bit predictable, but it gave a great spooky feel to the dark academia vibe. I may revisit later to see if it grows on me.

I love me a dark academia plus secret societies , that’s exactly what this gave 🤭 This lowkey gave m*rder mystery vibes too which I ate up. I loved the fmc and mmc’s back stories, there was depth to them and to see how their stories connect to each other was a “wait hold up” moment. The pace of the story was perfect, there was never a point where I felt like it was too slow or too fast. Everything unfolded seamlessly, the plot, the mystery, the romance…ate it all up.

The MMC was unhinged in the best way 😩
The FMC dove head first but I was here for it.

I did expect the book to be a bit more dark (i’m a dark romance girly through and through loll) but still enjoyed it overall.

I enjoyed the audiobook arc, i have no complaints about it

Dark academy? Dead bodies? Sign me up!

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

NO SPOILERS!

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 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.

Salem is on the spectrum and I love it. I loved the analytical way she thinks about things. I also feel her pain as the black sheep of her family. Cazimir has the mysterious bad boy vibe I'm a sucker for. 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.

If you're a fan of Gothikana, I would definitely give this a try. If Gothikana didn't grab you, I would give this a try before you write RunYx off.

RuNyx never lets me down when it comes to dark and mysterious storytelling. I ate this audiobook up and was left wishing I could erase my memory so I could listen to it for the first time again! Salem Salazar is the black sheep of her family and a legacy at the elite Mortimer University. Salem attends Mortimer for the sole purpose of uncovering what happened to her sister. Salem is uniquely herself. She is intelligent, inquisitive and passionate about forensics. I loved watching her confidence grow as the story progressed. Caz is the perfect dark and broody MMC I always end up falling head over heels for. I loved the slow burn of their relationship. There was no shortage of angst, banter, and tension. The chemistry between them was believable and once that spice hit? So so good! Outside of the romance I loved all the dark secrets, thriller like intrigue, secret societies, and the underlying themes woven into the story. The gothic atmosphere and beautiful writing kept me hooked throughout the whole story. Audio narrators Jaclyn Kelso and Aiden Snow were fantastic at bringing the story to life and creating an immersive experience. Read if you loved Gothikana but also if you love dark academia, rivals to lovers, secret societies, and a possessive MMC. Thank you to the author and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ALC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Dark academia
Enemies to lovers
Secret society
1st person POV

This was just what I needed to shake things up. I listened to the audio, it’s a dual narration in 1st POV.

Salem has started at Mortimer University
A place for the wealthy and those with the right connections to get their higher education. Salem has always been the black sheep of her family and after the scandal in her family, she’s now a social pariah as well. She’s gone to the university hoping to get answers.
Caz - the dark and broody artist, has secrets that can’t get out. He is chaos personified and he’s locked in on Salem.

They both have secrets, and they both are fighting an attraction for the other. I really enjoyed the suspense element, it kept me guessing who was who and how things would turn out.

Enigma:⁣🎧🎓🗿
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Thank you so much @brambleromance and @macmillan.audio for my gifted copies! #MacAudio2025 ⁣
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“Because I was a man on the path to damnation and I saw salvation instead. Because bring a you makes me feel something beyond rage. Because the chaos inside me quietens when I’m near you.” ⁣
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This book made my dark academia heart pitter patter. The mystery and sinister vibe really did it for me honestly. This was so much more dark DARK academia with a big ole dollop of romance. This is definitely a great way for those that like a little romance but are thriller girlies to dip their toe into the darker romance genre. ⁣
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Audio was so good. There’s a Dual POV. You hear mostly from Salem’s POV, but Caz is thrown a few times and it’s icing on the cake. ⁣
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Overall I loved it, g’bye. No, honestly it was really good and it gripped me in a while that I haven’t been in a while. I was so invested and this was so so good. Out Tuesday!⁣
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QOTD: What book or really anything are you looking forward to this week??

Enigma drops you right into the heart of a private, ultra-exclusive university where secrets aren't just whispered about — they're protected at all costs. This story peels back the layers of mystery surrounding the characters’ siblings, and it dives deep into the personal risks that come with exposing long-buried truths. Set against a backdrop of constant tension and intrigue, the main characters have to figure out if they can truly trust one another — and, just as importantly, who they’ll become once all the secrets are out.

I was hooked by the darker, more intense themes woven throughout the story, and the slow-burn romance between the characters added just the right touch of warmth to balance out the tension. The plot had a great thriller vibe without feeling overwhelming, keeping me turning the pages to see how it would all unravel. If you love a book that feels like a mix of mystery, danger, and a bit of forbidden romance, Enigma is definitely worth diving into!

✨𝒜𝐿𝒞 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌✨
🎧Enigma
🎙️Narrated by Jaclyn Kelso, Aiden Snow
🐦‍⬛Releasing April 29, 2025

Salem Salazar sets out to uncover the truth of what happened to her sister while fueling her passion for forensics. She may be a legacy student at the elite Mortimer University, but her childhood was anything but glamorous.

When she meets Caz, they become entangled in secret societies, conspiracies, and dangers that threaten their very lives.

Tropes:
✨Dark academia
✨Secret societies
✨Possessive MMC
✨Rivals to lovers
✨Mysterious dēaths
✨Found family
🌶️: open door

Salem has a brilliant mind but has always felt alone, abandoned, and never fully seen. Caz is dark, brooding, possessive and may have finally met his match. They are drawn to each other’s darkness, igniting foreign yet fervent sensations. As events of the past and present collide, will they unravel all the secrets in time?

The narrators embody these characters wholly, capturing the deep sense of longing, loneliness, and loss. Their passion burns brightly throughout the story and I was utterly enraptured by this darkly romantic tale.

The concepts of mortality, societal constructs, and family are adeptly explored and the mystery kept me guessing until the very end. With a masterful blending of dark academia, romance, mystery, and touch of the macabre, Enigma is an evocative and richly atmospheric feast for the senses.

So grateful to the author, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the ALC opportunity. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you Macmillan audio for the gifted ALC!

3.5⭐️

I adored the dark academia vibes and the intriguing mystery in this one! But there was something about this book that didn’t fully grip me, as I found myself wanting to be over with it a few times. I’m feeling very mixed rn!

The atmosphere was absolutely gorgeous and I could picture the setting so vividly! I love dark academia vibes and this was absolutely giving. I really enjoyed learning more about this world with the secret societies and wealthy families.

I overall really liked Salem! She’s kind of a loner but she starts to open up as the book goes on. I enjoyed that development from her as she got some more confidence. I did think she was kind of stupid sometimes tho 😭 like fr wouldn’t survive in a horror movie

Caz was super mysterious and absolutely obsesssssed with Salem! I kept flip flopping on if he was a good guy or not which was really fun. I would’ve liked to see some more character development from him too!!

I think the conclusion was a tad predictable but I enjoyed the start to the mystery that Salem is trying to uncover! Having so much plot outside of the romance is really nice!

I loved the female narrator but the males voice was hecking me off 😭 he’s trying way to hard to be ✨growly✨

This Hades and Persephone, dark academia romance novel had a great storyline! Salem Salazar is a legacy at Mortimer University and stumbled into a secret society when she is only 12. When her older sister attends Mortimer, her sister dies, and Salem is out to find out what happened. Salem has always been the black sheep of the family, but her fascination with forensics and how dead things died makes Salem even more motivated. Along comes Cas, a teaching assistant at the school whom Salem falls for, and the feeling is mutual. This book is intriguing and also quite spicy, I appreciate the twists and turns that came with rich people behaving badly, and did like how Salem and Cas balanced each other while dealing with death amongst other things, A great read!

After absolutely loving Gothikana by RuNyx, I was so excited for Enigma and Caz and Salem‘s story is just the perfect dark academia story that will completely mesmerize you.
 
The story takes us to Mortimer university that is very elite and exclusive, but a lot of strange things happen there. There are secret societies, drama, and lots of secrets. I was immediately immersed in this world and wanted to know all about it like Salem. The atmosphere in this book was just unreal and so mysterious and eerie and I always love how that matches the beautiful writing of RuNyx perfectly.
 
Salem is going to Mortimer university mainly to find out what really happened to her sister and what she finds out is just unreal. Salem is intelligent, curious and she’s just her own person and I loved that so much. A lot of people think she’s totally coldhearted, but you quickly realize that there’s so much more to her and I loved the depth her character has. She has looked death in the eye and is fascinated by it and wants to learn all about forensics and I could relate to that a little bit.
 
Caz on the other hand is surrounded by mystery and darkness and I was fascinated by him from the first page. He’s an elusive artist and I loved seeing all about it and how Salem becomes his muse. Caz keeps you on your toes the whole book and he totally made me fall in love with this story even more.
 
And next to the amazing characters and the atmosphere you have a plot that takes to the darkest and brighter parts of this world, and I was feeling this story in my soul. The romance was haunting and sexy, and I loved how Salem and Caz slowly become a team. I listened to the audiobook, and it was fantastic, and Aiden Snow and Jaclyn Kelso were the perfect narrators for this story.
 
Enigma is an unforgettable dark academia masterpiece and be ready to be all-encompassed by Caz, Salem, and Mortimer University. 5 stars.
 
(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc.)

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan audio for the ARC audiobook.It's been a while since I read a dark romance and I really enjoyed this. Dark romance. Dark Academia and the mystery of the story had me hooked. The narrators did a great job

RuNyx’s beautiful writing creates an atmospheric dark academia with secret societies, emotion, spice, and personal acceptance. I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook, especially Aiden Snow and Jaclyn Kelso’s performances.

FERAL. I am positively feral for Caz. This was so well narrated and well written. It was everything I wanted and more. I love the gothic energy of Moritimer University and the secret society was outrageous and so realistic and could actually be interpreted in today's events. I felt completely enthralled in the story and could have spent more time with the characters. Each character was complex and lovable and so totally unique and honestly I couldn't get enough.

It is a dark academia book with secret organizations crime, and murder and even has enemies to lovers.
Without giving away any spoilers, it follows the main character as she goes to college to try to figure out what led her sister to commit suicide and what all the other deaths there have in common
This book is not my normal read however it is extremely well written, and the audiobook is also done very well. it is a great book and it kept me up at night thinking about it and I would suggest that even if it is outside of what you normally read or genre you like still give it a try it is a phenomenal Book
I received an audio copy via Galaxy This is no way affects my opinion or review

This was a great book, it kept me hooked the entire time. I loved Salem and Caz's chemistry threw out the book. The mystery of this book will keep you guessing until the end.