Thank you NetGalley and RuNyx for the chance to listen to this ALC!

This is the second book by RuNyx I’ve listened to and I absolutely loved it! It was beautifully written and I enjoyed the uniqueness of the story. The characters, the setting, the plot… so good! RuNyx is quickly becoming one of fav authors and I’m looking forward to discovering more from her.

The narrators, Aiden Snow and Jaclyn Kelso, done an amazing job. Their voices fit the charachters perfectly and complimented each other well. They were able to capture the emotions and feelings of the charachters and I was able to stay engaged the entire time.

Caz and Salem had me 🫠 If you love dark academic stories filled with mystery, suspense, secrets, secret societies and steamy rival to lovers romance you’ll love Enigma!

I was not prepared for how much I loved this book. This is the best mix of dark academia, scorching romance, self discovery and mystery.

The MMC Caz will absolutely be your next morally gray book boyfriend. The way this man cherishes the FMC Salem, helps her find herself, accepts her and always knows exactly what she needs was so beautiful. And the juxtaposition between his sweet side and his extremely morally….dark gray side was perfection.
Caz gives the possessive, unhinged, touch her and die vibes and pairs it with a dirty as hell mouth and gives us the ultimate sweet and spicy and dark book boyfriend.

Salem is such a great neurodivergent rep. She has trouble with social cues, her hobbies and fascination with death people find unnerving and she’s has a tough exterior but she comes out of her shell so much and has such a great character arc. I love that she’s different from the typical FMC’s.

The murder mystery and secret society aspect was done so well. There’s enough suspense to keep you hooked throughout the story. I finished this book in less than 24 hours and equal parts wanted to know what happens and didn’t want it to end.
It does seem like, although this is a standalone, the author has set things up for a new mystery.

The audiobook was amazing and the narrators did such an amazing job bringing the characters to life.

Overall, this was an amazing dark romance with a compelling plot and well written prose that sucks you right into the story.
I highly recommend this book to any dark academia lovers but do suggest that you check your trigger warnings as there are some dark themes that may find triggering.

You’ll enjoy this story if you like
-Dark Academia
-Gothic Atmosphere
-Spicy Romance
-Secret Societies
-Murder Mystery
-Morally gray MMC
-Touch Her and Die
-Neurodivergent Rep

Thank you NetGalley for this audioARC in exchange for an honest review

Salem is death obsessed and finally getting into Mortimer University where she plans to uncover more about what happened to her missing sister.
She’ll quickly realize there are even more secrets to uncover at the university- one being a person- Caz, who she just can’t seem to figure out.

They both become targets to a secret society and have to decide if they want to work together and survive or remain divided.

Could you get anymore of my favorite themes into one book??

Dark academia ✅
Gothic fantasy ✅
Rivals to lovers ✅
Secret society ✅
Hades / Persephone vibes ✅

BUY THIS BOOK!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC ! Release date 4/29/25!

Now, this wasn’t a super mind blowing read. But was I entertained? Yes 🙂‍↕️ Did I wish it had a bit more depth? Also, yes lol. The relationship was definitely spicy, but I feel like I needed a bit more chemistry between them. As for the overall storyline… It was alright, but it kept me intrigued!! From the mysteries to her friend group, I ate it up in a day 🙇🏽‍♀️ I just wish the mystery was a bit more of a mystery, we kind of set the target early on & yeah… Although, there were a few components that had me wondering!!
Overall, I enjoyed thissss. The narrators did a wonderful job, I wish it was a full on duet 🤧

Ａｕｄｉｏｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
🌟🌟
Unfortunately, this story didn't do it for me. I had high hopes because I enjoyed Gothikana, and this book, *Enigma*, has some of the same tropes, but this story fell flat. The instalove/slow-burn romance felt forced. The third-person narration wasn't engaging. I did like that each chapter started with a quote! But honestly, I should have DNF'd it, but I wanted to see how it would end. The ending disappointed me because it felt rushed and predictable. Would I read this again? Probably not. Would I recommend this book? Of course, because I can easily see this book becoming popular with its tropes. This book just wasn't for me.

The audiobook is dual narration, which is a major plus. The narrators did a good job bringing this story to life. They were easy to understand and listen to. I listened at 2x speed.

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬:
•dark romance
•rivals to lovers
•dark academic
•secret society

Thank you, NetGalley, and MacmillanAudio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

4.5/5 ⭐️
2/5 🌶️

Thank you to RuNyx, their publisher, and NetGallwy for providing me with an ALC of this novel.

You should read this book if you like:
🖤 A take on Hades & Persephone mythology
💙 Dark Academia
🖤 Gothic Vibes
💙 Secret Society
🖤 FMC obsessed with death
💙 She’s a lone wolf type but learns to lean on friends
🖤 She must solve her sister’s death
💙 Artistic bad boy MMC
🖤 He’s her Psych TA
💙 Rivals? to Lovers
🖤 He becomes obsessed with her
💙 Spicy Spice 🌶️
🖤 Touch her and 💀 vibes
💙 “Mine.”

RuNyx can do no wrong. If they write it, I will read it! No one does spicy dark academia quite like them. Highly recommend you pick this up as soon as it publishes.

They had veteran narrators Jaclyn Kelso and Aiden Snow on board. It is not done in duet style, which I think really would’ve elevated this audiobook even more!

Dark academia meets dark romance, and I am once again feral.

I loved Gothikana when it came out—it hit just right while I was in the depths of a Wednesday/secret-society/romantic-gothic craving. So the second I saw Enigma pop up, I didn’t even hesitate. Requested immediately. No thoughts. Just vibes. And once again, RuNyx delivered.

This one leans heavily into those delicious Hades and Persephone undertones, which I ate right up. There's this beautiful, brooding tension simmering beneath everything—from the eerie halls of Mortimer University to the electric dynamic between Salem and Caz. At one point, I was convinced we were tipping into supernatural territory and found myself furiously DMing a friend who also had an early copy like, “Wait. WHAT is going on??” It was the best kind of confusion—where you're too intrigued to stop.

I’m not usually a huge dark romance girl, but something about this mix—dark academia, secret societies, mysterious deaths, and a maybe-murderer with cheekbones sharp enough to kill—just works for me.

Also, let’s talk about the audiobook: Macmillan Audio owns me. If they have no fans, it means I no longer exist. Aiden Snow and Jaclyn Kelso did such a great job bringing these characters to life—perfectly capturing the mood and slow-burn madness of it all.

So to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio—thank you so much for the early listen. And to RuNyx: please never stop writing dark academia. I will devour every single one.

I was so unbelievably excited when I saw that I received an ALC of this book. I’m obsessed with RuNyx, so this was a dream come true for me.

And this book did not disappoint! The narrators of this book were fire. They were literally perfect. If anything were slightly different, it would’ve been not nearly as good as it was.

There were several moments where I gasped or found myself actually talking out loud with/at the characters, which to me is a sign of a fabulous book.

This audio really brought this book to life. I’m excited for the physical book to come out so I can listen and read along at the same time for a second listen.

Absolutely phenomenal.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an ALC of this book. I absolutely loved it! All opinions are my own and are not influenced by the manner in which I received it.

A dark academia secret society romance. Runyon checked ALL the boxes with this one. Romance ✔️ Suspense ✔️ Plot twists ✔️ Spice ✔️ Dark academia setting ✔️ Attempting to write a spoiler free review on this is more difficult than it should be, but read it. I loved the investigative aspects and how in each working for their own secret causes, they reluctantly come together and find what they each need in more ways than one.

Narration also 5⭐️

Thank you for the ALC! This was my first RuNyx book and I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect. First of all, I really enjoyed the narrators of this book. The story itself felt quite juvenile and the romance was a bit too insta-love for me. The ending was quite abrupt. I did love the dark academia vibes though.

Hot, hot, hot! I'm ALL-IN for a great dark academia romance and this one checked all the boxes. I will admit to giggling and rolling my eyes a bit every time she said he "smelled like paint and petrichor" after about the fourth time. It was dark and sexy. A great read and I will be looking for more by this author.

Enigma has a fascinating premise—dark, twisted, and full of characters who are purposefully a little unhinged… but that’s kind of the charm. It gave me similar vibes to Nocticadia by Keri Lake (though without the deeply disturbing elements—no teacher/student dynamics or serial killer love interests here). The dark academia atmosphere was done well, and I was fully on board for that aesthetic.

That said, the pacing felt all over the place. With tighter structure and better timing, so many of the story’s elements could’ve hit harder. The romance especially would’ve benefited from a slower build—more time spent letting the main characters bond over their shared eccentricities and the mystery connecting them would’ve made it feel more earned. And the ending? Way too rushed.

This book had potential, and I wouldn’t call it bad by any means—but it definitely could’ve been better.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to an advanced copy of this audiobook!

I have been a fan of RuNyx ever since reading Gothikana, so I was so excited to learn of this new book and to get my hands on a copy to read. It definitely did not disappoint!

Enigma follows Salem Salazar as she enters Mortimer University. She is initially trying to solve the mystery of her older sister's mysterious death but then comes to realize there have been many more unexplained deaths. Continuing her dangerous search leads her to a secret society and a man named Cazimir (Caz). Salem doesn't know what do about him or with him, and he keeps getting in her way. But he has his own secrets and there is more to him than meets the eye. And they must find a way to work together.

Dark academia. Enemies to lovers. Steamy romance. Unexplained deaths. A secret society. Terrible secrets. Vivid setting and atmosphere. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. If you like any of those things need to read this book. Especially if you enjoyed Gothikana. Because RuNyx's flavor of dark academia and gothic romance are one of a kind. This one's a slow burn, but so, so worth it!

I had the pleasure of being able to both read an eARC and listen to an audio copy, and I have to say the audiobook really brings the story to life! The mood and setting are well-conveyed, and the steamy, sexy scenes are well done but not over-the-top. A perfect amount of steamy spice. I really enjoyed the narrator and the pacing of the story. It was much easier (and more fun) to picture the characters while listening to the audiobook vs. just reading digital. This audiobook is *~CHEF'S KISS~*

I will definitely be recommending this book to everyone!