It was…. Okay… I didn’t necessarily dislike it but I did struggle quite a bit to get into it and invested. I would say it did eventually pick up for me but overall I felt it was very lackluster

Enigma by @Author RuNyx was such a good read! 🖤dark gothic romance lovers will eat this up🖤 I absolutely loved the characters and the character building and the tension that was written… literally such an immersive world to be in! Loved it!

#booktok #morallygraymen #darkromance #darkacademia #runyx #enigmabyrunyx #gothicromance #darkromancerecs #gothicromancerecs #grumpymmc

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of the audiobook.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF at about 50%.

At first, the story started out great. It had an air of mystery and suspense and I was invested in finding out exactly what was going to happen next. However, as the story went on, it quickly lost appeal. While I enjoy a good dark romance, I didn't particularly find this one appealing. Between the writing style and the characters, I had to stop listening.

On the bright side, the narrators did a fantastic job.

Just okay for me. The premise had potential, and I can see why others are hooked, but it didn’t quite grab me the way I hoped it would. The pacing felt uneven, and I had a hard time connecting with the characters. Some moments were intriguing, but overall, it lacked the tension and emotional pull to really keep me invested. Not bad, just not memorable for me.

Dark academia, romance, secret societies, mysterious deaths and an equally mysterious man… I loved it! It had good spice with great tension. Story line was intriguing and kept you guessing.
NetGalley gave me the audiobook in exchange for a honest review and I went and bought the book because it’s gorgeous and wanted to do the full immersive experience.

Dark academia at its finest, with an eternally smirking MMC and a badas* FMC. So many twists and turns that had me entertained throughout the whole book. This was my first RunYx book and won’t be my last!

Enigma was my first novel by RuNyx and I was pleasantly surprised!
This follows our main character Salem, a cold and lonely teenager who is starting school at the prestigious Mortimer University, the seaside gothic college where her sister died years back. She goes to Mortimer to learn more about her sister's suspicious death and the note she left before she apparently took her own life, but ends up meeting a strange man at the foot of another dead girl on her first day. Cazimir is a tall dark and broody teacher's assistant for her psychology class, and he won't leave her alone after their interaction. Is his attention lustful or dangerous?
This was marketed as a spicy Hades & Persephone retelling, which I did not even pick up on until rereading the synopsis after finishing, which I suppose means it was less than successful, but it was still a good time (although less spicy than I was expecting). There were a few storylines that I felt were abandoned or where I was left wanting more from something that wasn't built upon, but for the most part I was entertained!
3.5 stars

3.5 stars! I enjoyed the audiobook and thought the narrators did a great job! I was hoping to see more of a connection between the main couple, they kind of had that instant love thing but then I felt like their connection never built on that. This was an easy read but took a bit of time to get going. I liked the characters but felt there was too much emphasis on Salem being an outcast, I feel there were more interesting personality traits to focus on. I did enjoy the story and the spice was great, but don’t feel like I loved anything about it enough to give 4 stars. Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

I liked Gothikana but didnt love this one mainly due to the pacing-- its all over the place. It was very "insta love" and I really dont enjoy that. There just wasnt anything emotionally provoking to make me care about the characters.

This is the second time I have tried RuNyx, and I seriously regret it. I just do not jive with the writing style, and the gothic elements are not for me. I don't think this was written for an audience like me in mind, and that is okay. You might like it.

Hauntingly beautiful is the only way to describe Enigma. Set against a backdrop of secret societies, elite academia, and a string of unsolved deaths stretching over a decade, this novel pulls you into its eerie world from the first page.

Salem, the black sheep in a picture-perfect family, has always felt a pull toward the macabre. But when her sister dies under mysterious circumstances, her obsession turns into a mission. What starts as a personal quest quickly spirals into something deeper and more dangerous—especially when a mysterious, brooding TA enters the scene. Their enemies-to-lovers dynamic adds an emotional intensity that balances out the dark and twisty plot.

If you love rich cult lore, morally gray characters, and the seductive unraveling of long-buried secrets, Enigma delivers.

I listened to the ALC and was completely immersed. Thank you Netgalley and RuNyx for the ALC in return for my honest review. Highly recommend for fans of dark academia with a romantic bite.

I loved this book so much! It’s giving adult Wednesday Addams in a dark academia setting. This book has a murder mystery plot with secret societies. The audiobook narrators did a really great job bringing the characters to live.

Gothic academia romantasy win. I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook, I love Salem and the vibes are immaculate. A really great read.

Thank you to the publishers for this ALC opportunity

I'm going to say this every time RuNyx releases. She's a GENIUS!!! Her characters, her stories, her plots, her vision...it's EPIC!!! It's so unique that had me MIND-BLOWN every time!!!

Caz and Salem have me in a chokehold!! Caz is seriously everything I love about a book boyfriend. His unhinged and protectiveness have me loving him immediately. And Salem. Oh this girl is seriously so strong and brave. I really don't want to say much because I don't want to spoil anything. You'll need to experience it for yourself.

Definitely pick this one up!!!

Did not want it to end! The story line and description really brought you into Mortimer University. Salem and Caz are completely electrifying. The plot was suspenseful and keeps you on your toes. The twists are fantastic! Definitely binge worthy

This was my first book experience with RuNyx and i absolutely enjoyed it. Im usually not a fan of 3rd person but RuNyx wrote the story so well that i was able to get immersed into the story with the narrators. I think Aiden snow ( absolutely a fan of his) and Jaclyn Kelso were a perfect combo for Caz and Salem. There was some good spicccyyy scene too but they weren't over powering and flowed well into the story... I love how Caz tried to not want Salem but just cant help but want her “You ask me if I'm crazy, and I am. I'm crazy about you and I'm crazy for you.” definitely worth the listen! (Full review with more of my favorite quotes will be up on my blog soon)

After a strange childhood and the disappearance of her sister Salem enrolls in an elite college where the sons and daughters of the rich attend. Here she’ focus on figuring out why her sister and all the past recipients of a certain award die.

Full of mystery, spice, and Runyx typical poetically vague and beautiful writing. This is a must read for anyone who loved gothikana!

But I think this book is best physically read and in the fall!

Not as captivating a story as Gothikana, which I loved, but still an entertaining read and one that I would recommend to dark academia fans, although I would recommend reading the book instead of listening to the audio. I did both. The narrator's voice rang flat for me and didn't lend to the tone and atmosphere that I envisioned it should have had based on my reading of the text.

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook! This is my second book from this author.

I love this setting so much. The dark academia, moody seaside university with forests and mountains? Absolutely. That's like my dream location - preferably without the murders but can't win them all.

This book definitely gave Hades and Persephone vibes but with dark academia and dark romance.

I loved Salem as the FMC. I loved hearing her train of thought, her attitude, her curiosity and honestly resilience. She really brought a whole new layer to the "black cat" FMC vibe that I think a lot of books do, but this one does it very well. She really has edges that are so tough because of her history that was written beautifully.

Caz as the MMC was also amazing. He also seemed 'black cat' but somehow also golden retriever but only for her which we LOVE. He had a lot more depth and combined with the plot layers within this story, really brought out his character.

This was a really fun listen, and the narrators did a fantastic job. I loved the casting, and they definitely brought the story to life. With how descripted the scenery of the university is, I wish it existed.

** spoiler alert ** RuNyx has done it again with another amazing book! I cannot wait for the next book in the Dark Verse series.

Reasons why I loved it:

*Salem was the perfect mixture of awkwardly morbid who let her kinky side bring the best of her out. I love how she was never dull as a character!

*Caz makes the whole student teacher / student relationship hot... might I add his psycho obsession with Salem is a welcomed edition.

*The storyline was great! I loved the suspense that builds up throughout the book. RuNyx has a way of making you feel like everyone is a suspect- making the actual reveal even better.

*Character redemptions throughout the book- for an author to put closure to why characters did what they did is chefs kiss for me. For some characters in this book the "why" made me think of them in a better way and for one character in particular RuNyx had me saying WTF and texting everyone I knew who had read the book because I absolutely needed to talk about it!

-Things I wished went better in the book-

-Although there were many parts of the book that were absolutely suspenseful and had me wanting to know more, I found it hard to stay entirely engaged throughout the whole book - putting it down more often than not.

- I wish there were more to the ending- what happened to the bad guys after they were caught.

I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5 and highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a mystery/thriller/dark romance quick read.

**I received an advance review audio copy for free on NetGally, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.**