Enigma is a wild ride. There is lots of foreboding atmosphere, mystery, and spicy romance. I especially like the heroine, Salem. She is an interesting combination of intellect and trauma, and narrator Jaclyn Kelso does a great job of showing Salem’s internal chaos and external stoicism. Aiden Snow is awesome, as usual. He brings all the heat and all the snark to Cas.
Also, the epigraphs that start each chapter are perfect.. The quote that kicks off the second epilogue slayed me! Well played EuNyx, well played.

Love!!! I’ve been waiting for this one since GOTHIKANA

Aiden snow was perfect in this one!!!


RuNyx has become one of m favorites authors and I will die on that hill

5 🌟

LOVED. OBSESSED. Read in a day.

I listened to the audiobook for the first half - the narrators were amazing. Caz’ voice had a hold on me.

This was one of the first dark academia + dark romance type genre books I’ve ever read, and I was not disappointed. From the first page, I was hooked. I loved Salem - her wild, curvy little bombshell vibes mixed with death and despair and loneliness? Perfect. Don’t even get me started on Caz. With his dark artist demeanor and his obsession with Salem that goes deeper than just their first meeting… I might have swooned. Their chemistry was top notch and the banter was 😘

The settings were incredible. I loved Runyx’ writing style and the descriptions of every scene never failed to paint a picture in my head. The chapter intro quotes were heavy hitters too, I highlighted almost every one of them cause of how deep they went. And the murders/deaths? Those added a higher stakes feeling to the already intriguing mystery behind Mortimer University. I had some serious trust issues with every character, but was always rooting for Salem and Caz.

The story started very strong, pulling me in little by little with each chapter. There were a couple parts in the middle and near the end where it felt a little rushed to me. I remember thinking “Salem, are you dumb…” with a couple decisions she made. But I refuse to deduct point from my review because this book invoked every emotion from me and that hasn’t happened in a while. I’m confident in saying I’ll be thinking about this book well after today. I’ll also be picking another Runyx up real soon.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC audiobook in response for an honest review!

This did publish 4/29/25 so I ended up finishing the book on my kindle.

This audiobook was a suspenseful, dark academia, dark romance ride with great narrators! I was on the edge of my seat the whole book. Secret societies at play with rich families and an old spooky school was the perfect formula for a dark mystery.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for allowing me to get the Audiobook ARC for this title.

Enigma is a moody, dark academia-dark romance set in a prestigious university for the highbrow members of society. Anyone who is anyone wants to get into this school where being a legacy is key. Our female main character Salem is “strange and unusual”, very much reminiscent of Lydia Deets. Our male main character Caz is a dark and broody bad boy, and very much fits the Lord of the Underworld archetype.

This books dark academia setting is so well done, with readers really getting the feeling they are in the fog and gloom of Mortimer University. The writing evokes beautiful imagery that does not feel forced. The mystery and the intrigue and the secret society aspect of this book is reminiscent of The Secret History, Babel, and The Atlas Six.

If you’re interested in a story where your FMC finds her worth through strong female friendships, murder boards, and expressing her sexuality, and where your MMC would ~unalive~ anyone who looks at her sideways Enigma is the story for you.

This was such an enjoyable book. The narrators really brought the characters to life. It is atmospheric with its dark academia setting and intriguing with the mysterious secret societies. It also has a decent amount if spice if youre into that. My only issue is the characters didn't have the chemistry I was hoping for and I think if I were to read this and not listen to it, I may not have enjoyed it as much as I did.

This was my first book from RuNyx. I found this book to be juvenile and lacked everything. I was very disappointed with this story. I got into 25% into the book and there is not really anything going on. Also, between the cheesy conversations and repetitive descriptions the writing was lack luster at best.

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

ALC Review
Enigma by RuNyx
Narrated by Aiden Snow & Jaclyn Kelso

I think I am officially in my Dark Academia era. This was my first RuNyx book and I definitely will be reading more.
I was not sure what I was getting into, but the blurb had me intrigued. I am a big fan of the secret society trope, so I knew I wanted to check it out.
I would have given this five stars if I had more of the male POV - it was heavily focused on the female POV and it had me feeling like I was missing out a bit.

Pick this one up if you enjoy:
* Dark academia
* Rivals to lovers
* Secret societies
* Scandals and lies
* Suspense and spice

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the advanced copy of this audiobook.

RuNyx has become one of my fav dark romance authors.. Definitely an auto buy! Thanks so much for the advanced copy of this audiobook! I loved this Hades and Persephone dark academia retelling! Hooked from the very beginning. Will be purchasing the physical copy so I can do immersive reading along with this audio!

Characters: 4⭐️
Setting: 4.5⭐️
Plot: 4⭐️
Themes: 5⭐️
Personal enjoyment: 5⭐️
Emotional Impact: 4⭐️
Overall rating: 4.5/5⭐️

Murder mystery, dark academia, academic rivals, secret society, slow burn, and dark romance 🖤

This book sucked me in immediately. I was completely enraptured by the first page. The dark academic setting was everything I needed.
The audiobook was fantastic with Aiden Snow & Jacklyn Kelso. Both did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life and adding more depth to the setting.

Salem Salazar is a legacy to Mortimer University who is obsessed with forensics. After the death of her older sister, she enrolls at the University to uncover the mysteries behind unsolved murder/suicides. Salem is determined to uncover the truth and uses herself as bait to lure out dark forces. Enter Cazmir van der Wall an artists, with secrets of his own.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the eAudiobook ARC! Enigma is RuNyx's latest dark acedemia romance. Salem Salazar enters Moritmer University as a legacy student, hoping to build her reputation after the "good daughter," her sister disappeared. But Salem's sister isn't the only girl to go missing. Secrets abound at the university and Salem must navigate who to trust. She is instantly drawn to the dark and brooding Cazimir van der Waal, who everyone warns her to stay away from (he doesn't interact with many), but the two can't seem to stay away from one another. Will their attraction lead to love or is betrayal waiting just around the corner? The narrative is not without its faults, but will likely satifiy fans of Gothikana. Aiden Snow and Jaclyn Kelso offer fantastic narrations to the story.

📖 𝙀𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙢𝙖 𝙗𝙮 𝙍𝙪𝙉𝙮𝙭
🎧 𝙉𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝘼𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙎𝙣𝙤𝙬 & 𝙅𝙖𝙘𝙡𝙮𝙣 𝙆𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙤

“𝘊𝘢𝘻 𝘷𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘞𝘢𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘮𝘢, 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦.”

The vibes this audiobook gave off were immaculate! The dark and spooky atmosphere reminded me of Sleepy Hollow. Right from the get go I was invested in solving the mysteries surrounding Mortimer University!

Our FMC, Salam Salazar was a Wednesday Addams type of character. From the outside she seems cold and indifferent, but inside she’s a wash of emotions. She’s on a mission to solve her sister’s mysterious death, even at the risk of her own life.

Caz made for the perfect morally grey/insanely broody male lead! He’s a man with many secrets and quite a few lines he’s not afraid to cross. He is wildly possessive over Salam and I loved it.

“𝘏𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘩, 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥, 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵, 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺. 𝘛𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺. 𝘔𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺.”

This is a bit of a slow burn but the chemistry/tension between the leads was pretty undeniable. When the spice enter the book it was PERFECT. 😮‍💨🫠❤️‍🔥

“𝘐 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭. 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶? 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭.“

Both Caz & Salam do not fit society’s norms but together they were everything.

The mystery was great! I felt like the climax/resolution was a bit too ‘easy’. I would have liked to see a bit more action in that final scene but overall I enjoyed the reveal!

If you love dark academia vibes and morally grey men, go add this to your TBR! The audiobook was fantastic and I definitely recommend it!

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
🖤 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘈𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘢/𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦
😱 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 & 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦
❄️ 𝘚𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘐𝘤𝘦, 𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘦
☔️ 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬, 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘺 & 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘺 𝘈𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦
👀 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵 𝘚𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺
❤️‍🔥 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯 + 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘦
🫶🏼 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦
😮‍💨 “𝘔𝘐𝘕𝘌”
🎨 “𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶”

This was a dark collegiate romance. I was able to listen to this on audio and it is a dual narration.
This is a elite college with a dark background. Our main characters meet when they find a body on the beach. This is a slightly forbidden romance with strong touch her and die vibes.

This was the perfect dark academia mystery! I loved the mysterious vibes. There’s depth of characters, suspected murder, and a deviously spicy love story despite the lovebirds fighting its pull. Wonderful plot flow, insatiable fire between the main characters, and consistent relationship building between all characters made this one unforgettable and one I can see myself reading again. The narrator’s did a wonderful job with inflection and tone. Many thanks to NetGalley and the Macmillan Audio for gifting my an ALC. These opinions are my own.

This was so unexpected for me. I knew I would like it but I was pleasantly surprised by how absorbed I became while listening to the audiobook. The narration was excellent. I really love the FMC- her motivations and personality were distinct and I found her character to be very relatable. It was so easy to root for her. The MMC is dark, moody as hell, kind of a psychopath, definitely an asshole…but also thoughtful, protective, and oh-so-hot. I really appreciate that while the MMC is definitely very aggressive, even frightening at times, consent is strongly emphasized. This is how you do dark romance! This had Cruel Intentions vibes but gothic and dark.

What to expect:
-morally grey MMC
-maybe suicide maybe murder mystery, but people keep dying and it’s definitely not normal
-dark academia
-secret societies
-found family
-creepy ritualistic behavior

Thank you Netgalley, RuNyx and MacMillan Audio for the ALC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

Enigma – a bunch of elite university students, secret societies, the whispers, the gossip, this all sounds like a very exciting, mysterious, and suspenseful dark academia story. It is, and yet, I think this book had more promise than it delivered. I will tell you that I enjoyed this read. I had the ALC and e-arc and was able to immersively read Enigma. My favorite way to read. I was completely hooked with the start of the story. Salem Salazar is our FMC. She is odd, eccentric, and she does not have friends. She is curious about life and death. Wants to know how things die. She isn’t like her perfect older sister. They are both destined to attend Mortimer University an elite school where they are generational legacies. But Salem’s sister dies at Mortimer. It is ruled a suicide, but Salem does not believe it. Her intent is to investigate what happened to her sister. She keeps a murder board so she can track all the information including the other mysterious deaths. A strange thing happens to Salem while at Mortimer, she makes friends and has a boyfriend. I am not an insta-love fan. It avoids the work of seeing the relationship develop. That being said, Salem and Caz are great characters and I enjoyed the two of them together. The side characters in this story are also good – I liked Salem’s friends and I really liked Baron and for that you will need to read the book.
There is so much to like with this story, but the ending is anti-climactic. In my reading of Enigma, Caz tells Salem what just happened instead of Salem solving the mystery. I hated that. Truly.

There is a lot of spice in this book, and the dialogue in a lot of this is just cringe. We all deserve better. What is with the ‘good girl’ obsession?
I enjoyed the read/listen. The narration from Aiden Snow and Jaclyn Kelso was perfection. Just outstanding.
I need to thank Net Galley, MacMillan Audio and TOR Publishing Group for my advance copies.

OMG. Ninth House meets The Skulls meets Cruel Intentions and #RuNyx understood the assignment! I had no idea what to expect from #Enigma but I am so thankful that #netgalley and ##MacMillanAudio helped me find a new go to author. I'm genuinely not sure what else to say without spoiling anything but go ahead and add this to your must read/listen list.

This one fell a bit flat for me. I was really enjoying the first 40% of the book when things were more mysterious and the secret societies were in play. When the romance started to sizzle, that became the main focal point of the book and the plot of the mystery fell a bit short. I feel like we lost the mysterious allure of the book, the chemistry was lacking and the romance seemed more physical, and then when we did get to the end the reveal and conclusion of the secrets of the university and what happened to our FMCs sister did not seem important or as important as the romance. It was just a brief mention and then we jumped back into spice and romance. I wanted a lot more from the plot and I didn’t connect to the characters. The pacing seemed off and the little bit of MMC POV we got wasn’t enough in my opinion.

This is my first by RuNyx and I think I may like some of their other work, but sadly this was a miss for me.

Thank you MacMillan Audio for the advanced copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own.

I absolutely love this authors writing and can never find the words to adequately put the feelings I get while reading into a review.

Enigma is a hauntingly beautiful story set at Mortimer University. Both Salem and Caz have their reasons for being there but of course nothing is ever as it seems. Their relationship is different and what ties them together was such a surprise. As the secrets unfold and new mysteries arise I couldn't have been more hooked on this book.

The audio was fantastic! Narrators Jaclyn Kelso and Aiden Snow did so well and gave even more into the spooky vibes and setting.

3.5✨
Atmospherically I share all my praise because Enigma is absolutely beautiful. This book gave me the bone-chilling vibes that I crave from a great Dark Academia murder mystery. The quotes at the start of each chapter were treasures I truly appreciated. The tremendous narrators only add to the poetic justice. Then there is this fantastic build-up from the very first chapter that kept me begging for more plot-wise. It was clawing through the pages until it slowly began to fade. That's when I felt like the romance overwhelmingly took over. As if it is struggling with itself to decide what genre to fall in as opposed to a balance. Aspects needed more exploring and I wanted more of those answers.

You can tell that RuNyx went above and beyond with Salem. She is highly authentic and intellectual, she has depth to her. I could resonate with her! Caz Van der Waal is that mysterious tortured artist who is highly obsessive. I think I enjoyed these two as individuals more than as a pair. 

The romance was too rushed and too insta-love/lust for my liking. One particular steamy scene was far too cringe. Yet I can appreciate the banter between the two. It’s an odd relationship to enjoy the surface but not the depth they have together. I think this is why their relationship felt unbelievable. Still, RuNyx created something very unique. I can definitely see many people binging this within a day or two. Considering I was provided with the audiobook, I wanted to spend more time.

Thank you to NetGalley, RuNyx, and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review.