As a devoted RuNyx fan (Gothikana still lives rent-free in my head), I had high expectations diving into Enigma — and it delivered on every chilling, poetic, and addictive promise.

I experienced this book via audiobook, and it was so well done. While part of me selfishly wishes this was a duet narration, the narrators still carried the weight of every character beautifully, fully immersing me into the eerie, twisted world of Mortimer University.

The story follows Salem Salazar, the black sheep of her scandal-ridden family, who arrives at Mortimer seeking the truth about her sister’s death — only to uncover a string of missing girls and a darkness far more intricate than she imagined. Enter Cazimir van der Waal, the enigmatic artist with secrets of his own, and a connection to Salem that sparks from the moment they meet… over a dead body. (Yes. That happened. And it was glorious.)

The unraveling of the central mystery was paced perfectly — drawn out just enough to keep me guessing without ever feeling tedious. RuNyx weaves secrets, suspense, and steamy tension in a way that only she can. Her writing is lyrical and poetic without being overindulgent, and I found myself bookmarking quotes constantly.

This is definitely a darker read, so I urge readers to check trigger warnings before diving in. But for those who love dark academia, rivals-to-lovers tension, secret societies, and forbidden romance, Enigma is an absolute must.

I loved this audiobook so much I’m already planning to grab a physical copy just to highlight favorite lines — because trust me, there are plenty.

Enigma by Runyx was my first read by this author, and in hindsight, it may not have been the best introduction. I went in hoping to be completely hooked by the dark academia vibes, secret society drama, and a gripping mystery surrounding a sister's death—but I found myself struggling to stay engaged through the first 60% of the book.

The premise had a lot of potential, and Salem as a protagonist was interesting, especially with her fascination with death and the mysterious aura around Caz. However, the storytelling felt disjointed early on. I often found myself wondering why certain details mattered instead of being immersed in the unfolding plot. It lacked the seamless connection and tension that would have pulled me in fully.

The audiobook narration was solid. Aiden Snow brought a smooth, intense tone to Caz that fit his character well, while Jaclyn Kelso gave Salem a voice that captured her emotional and inquisitive nature. Their performances definitely helped hold my attention when the story itself wavered.

That said, the final 40% was a turning point. The pace picked up, threads started to tie together, and Caz’s role in the story became clearer, leading to a satisfying twist and a well-rounded conclusion. By the end, I appreciated where the story went, even if the journey getting there was a bit bumpy.

Overall, Enigma was okay. It had moments of intrigue and promise, especially toward the end, but it didn’t quite deliver the immersive experience I was hoping for. The narrators elevated the experience, and I might consider trying another Runyx book with them at the mic.

A dark academia romance with a mysterious MMC and a FMC studying to be a forensic scientist while trying to investigate her sister’s alleged self-unaliving. The Narrators cadence was just right. Highly recommend immersion reading.

I’ve gotta be honest… this book felt a lot like their previous book, Gothikana. Which I loved! I just felt like it was the same trope/story with a different MMC/FMC. Salem was okay but she didn’t really strike me as someone I was rooting for. And Caz was… eh? I don’t know how I feel about him necessarily.

Enigma is an atmospheric story with a grotesque excitement for and curiosity of death which successfully piques your dark interest in the macabre. Taking place on a cliffside coastal campus and in a colorless castle, there are many alluring and seductive mysteries to keep you guessing.

Relationships and characters
- Salem is a criminology major attempting to infiltrate and investigate what has been covered up at Mortimer. She has a methodical, procedural way of going about life, especially due to her academic and personal interests. She has an obsession with death and is an outcast due to her family name, which she embraces. She keeps to herself until she gets pulled into the obscurities of the institution.

- Caz is a tattooed, secretive, threatening, possessive, unhinged artist with a fascination with blood as his medium.

- The relationship and their dynamic together was dangerous, although the attraction felt rather instant. Between the two of them, there are many secrets to uncover and enough intrigue to maintain your interest due to various aspects throughout the story. Despite this being a romance, this seemed to be the most underdeveloped part, and there was a jarring shift about halfway through from the deaths at the academy to focus almost exclusively on the relationship while there were still many unaddressed elements promised in the summary. If you enjoy dark romance-forward stories, this might not bother you.

Engagement and enjoyment
- The idea of secret societies, academics, and murder or suicide within a corrupt academy should be able to captivate you throughout, and while the interest was there, the lack of urgency along with the drastic shift in tone and focus lost me as the story progressed. There were also some questionable scenes specifically regarding the relationship that were strange. However, the atmospheric writing was enough to keep me engaged and the promise of more dark academia was always present, creating suspense and curiosity. The beginning of each chapter included a quote from a famously dark/academic book, which was a fun touch as well.

Atmosphere and setting
- The first half of this story maintained its atmosphere and suspense to engross you, and the setting was certainly the highlight of the entire book. Academics had a surprisingly minimal presence, as did the other typical dark academia components, but RuNyx's writing excels in this area. This is a wonderful story to go in for atmosphere and setting, and the descriptions are exceptional.

Development and plot
- As mentioned, the development and plot fell flat. There was initially tremendous intrigue with the deaths, the promise of a cultish secret society, unchecked online groups, and cryptic characters. However, much of this was only briefly mentioned or only brought up toward the end. Again, if you are not bothered by a slow-paced story with an emphasis on the relationship, this might not be of notice.

3.5☆

Thank you so much RuNyx, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for my genuine review!

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!

While this is not a sequel to Gothikana, they are both of the same theme: in a mysterious dark school with a romance with an older man who is part of the academic “staff.” Both schools also have students who are going missing or are dead.

Either the idea and synopsis being so similar, I expect his to be similar enough to guess what was going to happen based on the first book. Usually, when it comes to a series, most of the time the first book is the best one. This is not always the case for intertwined standalone books though. While I liked Gothikana, this book had so much more mystery and substance to me. The characters were so much more developed and complex in my opinion.

There will always be “predictable” parts, but there were even more twists and turns that you weren’t always sure.

In dark romances there are always going to be a few things that I question but it’s part of the genre.

Runyx did it again 👏🏾 this was a top tier dark academia, gothic romance. Salem was not considered a normal girl with her love of forensics and Caz was mysterious, smart, and would do anything to protect his girl.

Salems need to find the truth that sets her on a crash course of path to danger. Caz tried to stay away as he has his own secrets but the magnetic energy between them was not cooperating with his plan.

I would have loved to immersive read this book with the book along with my ALC but I can see myself going back to reread this.

The secret societies, the secrets, found family, rivals to lovers, possessive, and murder mystery! My type of book.

First and foremost I would like to thank @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for providing me with an ALC of one of my most anticipated books of the year.
4.5 ⭐️
Runyx has such a unique way of creating such complex characters with complex issues. That’s one of my favorite aspects of reading this author's books, her ability to create characters that readers can see themselves in and really connect to them and make them feel so real. Runyx creates these characters and even though they do some questionable things, we understand why they do those things and she has you rooting for them. This author's ability to also create the most beautiful atmosphere with her writing is amazing. Runyx has become one of my autobuy authors and I can’t wait to read her other works.
The relationships that we see built throughout this book are amazing and heartfelt. Me getting giddy while writing this 😏. I will definitely be rereading once I have my physical copy.
Basically if you love dark, spooky ambience. A dark FMC that’s obsessed with the dead and criminology and an obsessed MMC with a mystery plot . PICK THIS UP IMMEDIATELY!!!

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.

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??