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.

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.