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Enigma
Enigma, a twisted Hades and Persephone meets scorching dark academia romance—a tale of love and obsession between two rivals.
There are secrets she must uncover.
There are secrets he must keep.
Salem Salazar is fascinated with death. The black sheep of her scandal-ridden, wealthy family, she arrives at Mortimer University as a legacy on the hunt for answers about what happened to her perfect, older sister. There, she discovers that her sister is far from the only girl to have gone missing at Mortimer. Salem will do anything to discover what dark forces are killing Mortimer's students...even if it means using herself as bait.
And Cazimir van der Waal has caught her scent. The mysterious artist and teaching assistant has a dark past, a hidden agenda, and a ravenous appetite for a beautiful, golden-eyed girl who seems determined to risk her life.
Where she is ice, he is fire. Where she is organization, he is chaos. Where she is precision, he is passion. Together they are explosive--their fates linked as secret societies and death stalk them both.
Enigma is a sensual, epic love story for those who also crave the frightful, the puzzling, the suspenseful, the dangerous and the dark.
Welcome to Mortimer.
Enigma
*Dark academia romance
*Steamy suspense
*Rivals to lovers
*Secret societies
*Forbidden love
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
There are secrets she must uncover.
There are secrets he must keep.
Salem Salazar is fascinated with death. The black sheep of her scandal-ridden, wealthy family, she arrives at Mortimer University as a legacy on the hunt for answers about what happened to her perfect, older sister. There, she discovers that her sister is far from the only girl to have gone missing at Mortimer. Salem will do anything to discover what dark forces are killing Mortimer's students...even if it means using herself as bait.
And Cazimir van der Waal has caught her scent. The mysterious artist and teaching assistant has a dark past, a hidden agenda, and a ravenous appetite for a beautiful, golden-eyed girl who seems determined to risk her life.
Where she is ice, he is fire. Where she is organization, he is chaos. Where she is precision, he is passion. Together they are explosive--their fates linked as secret societies and death stalk them both.
Enigma is a sensual, epic love story for those who also crave the frightful, the puzzling, the suspenseful, the dangerous and the dark.
Welcome to Mortimer.
Enigma
*Dark academia romance
*Steamy suspense
*Rivals to lovers
*Secret societies
*Forbidden love
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
463 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 29, 2025
3235 people are currently reading
54196 people want to read
About the author
RuNyx
17 books21.1k followersRuNyx is a New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author of romance. Her stories range across subgenres from dark contemporary to gothic to historical to fantasy and more, and are currently being translated into over 10 languages.
Her pen name has a very special meaning to her. When she's not writing, she's reading, traveling, meditating, daydreaming, and most of all, procrastinating.
Join her newsletter tribe for all updates and stalk her on her social media.
Website ➡️ https://runyxwrites.com
Newsletter ➡️ https://runyx.myflodesk.com/newsletter
Instagram ➡️ instagram.com/authorrunyx
Reader Group ➡️ facebook.com/groups/runyx
Her pen name has a very special meaning to her. When she's not writing, she's reading, traveling, meditating, daydreaming, and most of all, procrastinating.
Join her newsletter tribe for all updates and stalk her on her social media.
Website ➡️ https://runyxwrites.com
Newsletter ➡️ https://runyx.myflodesk.com/newsletter
Instagram ➡️ instagram.com/authorrunyx
Reader Group ➡️ facebook.com/groups/runyx
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,304 reviews
May 6, 2025
Okay this low key ateeeee…???? I feel like the reviews are so mixed on this book and I totally see why, but I had so much fun with this!
I personally hateeeeddd Gothikana but love love love the Dark verse series so I went into this with zero expectations, and I think that’s the way to go with this! I love dark gothic romance and this delivered on the gothic from for sure. I feel like this was a vibes read for me and I’m not at all mad about it!
Dark spooky academy setting, murder mystery, secret society, an absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS, sizzling hot romance that had me slightly feral… CAZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!! My psychopath, unhinged, semi-stalker artist who is just SO OBSESSED with her I canttttttt oh my god I’m so done I fell in love with him immediately. And then Salem, gahhhhh I loved her too! She was so different as far as FMCs go and I loved her quirky, deranged brain.
The ending was a bit disappointing and underwhelming, I definitely wanted more, but like I still couldn’t put this down once I picked it up. But I cannot say it was anything revolutionary. Right book right time for sure
I personally hateeeeddd Gothikana but love love love the Dark verse series so I went into this with zero expectations, and I think that’s the way to go with this! I love dark gothic romance and this delivered on the gothic from for sure. I feel like this was a vibes read for me and I’m not at all mad about it!
Dark spooky academy setting, murder mystery, secret society, an absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS, sizzling hot romance that had me slightly feral… CAZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!! My psychopath, unhinged, semi-stalker artist who is just SO OBSESSED with her I canttttttt oh my god I’m so done I fell in love with him immediately. And then Salem, gahhhhh I loved her too! She was so different as far as FMCs go and I loved her quirky, deranged brain.
The ending was a bit disappointing and underwhelming, I definitely wanted more, but like I still couldn’t put this down once I picked it up. But I cannot say it was anything revolutionary. Right book right time for sure
May 16, 2025
Give me pre-syndicaters runyx back pls 🙏🏻
__
ANOTHER DARK ACADEMIC ROMANCE BY RUNY!?!? 😫 IM READY TO BE DESTROYED‼️
__
ANOTHER DARK ACADEMIC ROMANCE BY RUNY!?!? 😫 IM READY TO BE DESTROYED‼️
Currently reading
May 4, 2025"Another one… THANK YOU!"🫡
Dark academia? Check. Secret societies? Check. Enemies to lovers? Is that even a question? . This is the ultimate girl dinner! 😋 "Mother Runyx is back, and she's about to wreck us all again!💥 Salem is all order and precision, while Caz is a walking hurricane of chaos—this dynamic is going to end me, I just know it.
Salem: “I make the rules.”
Caz: “I break them... on purpose.”💅
The art? Slaying. The vibes? Immaculate. My patience? Gone like yesterday’s TikTok trend📚🔥
Bring on the chaos🥂
Dark academia? Check. Secret societies? Check. Enemies to lovers? Is that even a question? . This is the ultimate girl dinner! 😋 "Mother Runyx is back, and she's about to wreck us all again!💥 Salem is all order and precision, while Caz is a walking hurricane of chaos—this dynamic is going to end me, I just know it.
Salem: “I make the rules.”
Caz: “I break them... on purpose.”💅
The art? Slaying. The vibes? Immaculate. My patience? Gone like yesterday’s TikTok trend📚🔥
Bring on the chaos🥂
June 2, 2025
idk. Meh. I don’t think I vibe with Runyx.
Don’t let my rating discourage you, this is the 4th or 5th book I’ve read from this author and we just don’t mesh.
I thought this one started out better and with a better premise than Gothikana, but it felt pretty insta to me as well. I couldn’t connect with the characters.
The pacing was a little all over the place for me which I think made it hard for me to stay engaged.
If you typically enjoy Runyx, I think you’ll enjoy this one. But then again, who knows after the way her 'fans' bashed her last book.
These last min arcs are kinda killing me lol. Excited to jump into this one though! I’ve gotta start it now…
🖤Dark Academia
🖤Standalone
🖤Rivals to Lovers
🖤Mystery x Suspense
🖤Secrets
🖤Secret Society
🖤Gothic Romance
Expected Pub Date - 04/29/25
Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the advanced audio copy, all thoughts are my own. 💐
Don’t let my rating discourage you, this is the 4th or 5th book I’ve read from this author and we just don’t mesh.
I thought this one started out better and with a better premise than Gothikana, but it felt pretty insta to me as well. I couldn’t connect with the characters.
The pacing was a little all over the place for me which I think made it hard for me to stay engaged.
If you typically enjoy Runyx, I think you’ll enjoy this one. But then again, who knows after the way her 'fans' bashed her last book.
These last min arcs are kinda killing me lol. Excited to jump into this one though! I’ve gotta start it now…
🖤Dark Academia
🖤Standalone
🖤Rivals to Lovers
🖤Mystery x Suspense
🖤Secrets
🖤Secret Society
🖤Gothic Romance
Expected Pub Date - 04/29/25
Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the advanced audio copy, all thoughts are my own. 💐
Want to read
June 21, 2024Dark academia + secret societies + RuNyx's writing? I NEED THIS LIKE I NEED AIR 😩😩
May 10, 2025
everyone in this book speaks like a founding father.
May 27, 2025
the only enigma is how this got published.
May 8, 2025
2.65 stars?
and trust me, that’s being generous. the only thing keeping me turning pages was Baron.
"Enigma" by RuNyx had me so hyped going in. The vibes? Immaculate. That dark academia aesthetic, the Hades x Persephone promise, the mystery, the forbidden obsession… like YES??? Inject that into my veins. But what I got? Felt like biting into a gooey-looking brownie only to realize it’s dry as hell on the inside.
Let’s start with the good (because there was some):
The chapter enders? Gorgeous. Every time I reached one, I had to stop and soak it in—highlighting, Googling, and falling down literary rabbit holes. They added this elegant, brainy touch to the story that I loved. And the atmosphere? Absolutely spellbinding. I swear I could feel the chill in the air, hear footsteps echoing in ancient corridors, and see candlelight dancing on the walls. If there's one thing RuNyx never misses, it's the vibe.
And Salem?
She was lowkey fascinating at first. Ice-cold, trauma-shielded, death-obsessed— I was INTO IT. She had that hot girl tragic energy I live for. But then she just… fizzled.
Like, after the halfway point she lost her flavor. She went from mysterious loner to basic heroine real quick. Girl went from "I don’t need anyone" to "Caz plz ruin me" in one sec?? Not buying it.
Caz?
Listen. I usually live for the broken artist archetype. Dark eyes, haunted soul, fingers stained with paint and grief? That should’ve worked. But hot?? Eh. Interesting? Kinda. Swoon-worthy? Not even close. He had angst, sure, but not the kind that makes you spiral or write midnight fanfic. Just… mid.
The romance was such a letdown. There were crumbs of chemistry at the start—banter that had potential, lingering glances that hinted at tension. But then it just… vanished. Once they got together, there was no build, no fire, no angst, no tension —nothing. It felt like insta-lust disguised as deep emotional connection and I HATE that. One minute she’s dead-eyed and numb, next minute she’s thirsting over him like it’s Wattpad. Make it make sense.
Also, the sex scenes? Felt forced. Not RuNyx hot. More like "I guess we’re doing this now???" shrug
Now, the plot. oh boy.
Started off like a thriller. I was intrigued. I was INVESTED.
And then? Chaos. Just pure chaos. It tried juggling secret societies, missing girls, art, trauma, generational wealth, cults, romance, existential dread— like slow down. There’s only so many things I can track at once. By the end, it was just info-dump after info-dump, every big twist crammed into like ten pages, and I was exhausted. That final secret society showdown?? Embarrassing. No buildup. No emotional payoff. Just… okay, guess that’s over now.
I wanted chills. I wanted obsession. I wanted a love story so intense it hurt. Instead I got a Pinterest board with dialogue.
I’m not saying it was awful. The writing? Still solid. The vibe? Top tier. Baron? Give that man a book immediately.
But Enigma didn’t grip me. It didn’t shake me.
And for RuNyx? That’s just disappointing.
Final thoughts?
Atmosphere carried.
Salem had promise.
Baron is the ✨moment.✨
But Caz didn’t deliver, the romance flopped, and the plot fell apart.
Would I read the next book? Maybe. Out of loyalty. But only if Baron’s the star.
2.65/5
And that’s me being nice.
Tropes:
📜 Dark academia
🖤 Obsessive male lead
📜 Secret societies
🖤 Tragic pasts
📜 Emotionally guarded FMC
🖤 Muse x artist
📜 Power imbalance
🖤 Instalust
📜 Dark Secrets
🖤 Trauma Bonding
CW (Content Warnings): Death, Suicide, Trauma, Violence, Mental health struggles, Obsession, Sexual content, Cult behavior
You want obsession, mystery, and passion? Read Gothikana.
Not this.
and trust me, that’s being generous. the only thing keeping me turning pages was Baron.
"Enigma" by RuNyx had me so hyped going in. The vibes? Immaculate. That dark academia aesthetic, the Hades x Persephone promise, the mystery, the forbidden obsession… like YES??? Inject that into my veins. But what I got? Felt like biting into a gooey-looking brownie only to realize it’s dry as hell on the inside.
Let’s start with the good (because there was some):
The chapter enders? Gorgeous. Every time I reached one, I had to stop and soak it in—highlighting, Googling, and falling down literary rabbit holes. They added this elegant, brainy touch to the story that I loved. And the atmosphere? Absolutely spellbinding. I swear I could feel the chill in the air, hear footsteps echoing in ancient corridors, and see candlelight dancing on the walls. If there's one thing RuNyx never misses, it's the vibe.
And Salem?
She was lowkey fascinating at first. Ice-cold, trauma-shielded, death-obsessed— I was INTO IT. She had that hot girl tragic energy I live for. But then she just… fizzled.
Like, after the halfway point she lost her flavor. She went from mysterious loner to basic heroine real quick. Girl went from "I don’t need anyone" to "Caz plz ruin me" in one sec?? Not buying it.
Caz?
Listen. I usually live for the broken artist archetype. Dark eyes, haunted soul, fingers stained with paint and grief? That should’ve worked. But hot?? Eh. Interesting? Kinda. Swoon-worthy? Not even close. He had angst, sure, but not the kind that makes you spiral or write midnight fanfic. Just… mid.
The romance was such a letdown. There were crumbs of chemistry at the start—banter that had potential, lingering glances that hinted at tension. But then it just… vanished. Once they got together, there was no build, no fire, no angst, no tension —nothing. It felt like insta-lust disguised as deep emotional connection and I HATE that. One minute she’s dead-eyed and numb, next minute she’s thirsting over him like it’s Wattpad. Make it make sense.
Also, the sex scenes? Felt forced. Not RuNyx hot. More like "I guess we’re doing this now???" shrug
Now, the plot. oh boy.
Started off like a thriller. I was intrigued. I was INVESTED.
And then? Chaos. Just pure chaos. It tried juggling secret societies, missing girls, art, trauma, generational wealth, cults, romance, existential dread— like slow down. There’s only so many things I can track at once. By the end, it was just info-dump after info-dump, every big twist crammed into like ten pages, and I was exhausted. That final secret society showdown?? Embarrassing. No buildup. No emotional payoff. Just… okay, guess that’s over now.
I wanted chills. I wanted obsession. I wanted a love story so intense it hurt. Instead I got a Pinterest board with dialogue.
I’m not saying it was awful. The writing? Still solid. The vibe? Top tier. Baron? Give that man a book immediately.
But Enigma didn’t grip me. It didn’t shake me.
And for RuNyx? That’s just disappointing.
Final thoughts?
Atmosphere carried.
Salem had promise.
Baron is the ✨moment.✨
But Caz didn’t deliver, the romance flopped, and the plot fell apart.
Would I read the next book? Maybe. Out of loyalty. But only if Baron’s the star.
2.65/5
And that’s me being nice.
Tropes:
📜 Dark academia
🖤 Obsessive male lead
📜 Secret societies
🖤 Tragic pasts
📜 Emotionally guarded FMC
🖤 Muse x artist
📜 Power imbalance
🖤 Instalust
📜 Dark Secrets
🖤 Trauma Bonding
CW (Content Warnings): Death, Suicide, Trauma, Violence, Mental health struggles, Obsession, Sexual content, Cult behavior
You want obsession, mystery, and passion? Read Gothikana.
Not this.
Read
August 31, 2025— ALC provided by the publisher Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.
May 2, 2025
so much spice, yet the characters had no flavor.
May 3, 2025
1 star ⭐
so… the third time was in fact NOT the charm. honestly, what even was this?! (400+ pages of absolutely NOTHING, that’s what.) the whole book was unnecessarily dragged out until the last two chapters, and even then, the ending was one of the most underwhelming i’ve ever read.
pre-read
i’ve read two books by runyx so far and neither really worked out for me, but i’m hoping this one will since i’m a sucker for dark academia romances 🤞🏻
br with my bb vee 💋
so… the third time was in fact NOT the charm. honestly, what even was this?! (400+ pages of absolutely NOTHING, that’s what.) the whole book was unnecessarily dragged out until the last two chapters, and even then, the ending was one of the most underwhelming i’ve ever read.
pre-read
i’ve read two books by runyx so far and neither really worked out for me, but i’m hoping this one will since i’m a sucker for dark academia romances 🤞🏻
br with my bb vee 💋
February 22, 2025
A WHOLE LOT OF F-CK YEAH.
bow down to RuNyx.
(Thank you to the publisher for an early copy of Enigma)
bow down to RuNyx.
(Thank you to the publisher for an early copy of Enigma)
May 3, 2025
4 stars
I went into this with such low expectations and I’m so pleasantly surprised!!! I loved the gothic vibes, and I really liked the main characters. The mystery to it had me so intrigued! I love a secret society element. I do feel like the reveal was anticlimactic, but I had fun getting to it, so at least there’s that! This was fun!
I went into this with such low expectations and I’m so pleasantly surprised!!! I loved the gothic vibes, and I really liked the main characters. The mystery to it had me so intrigued! I love a secret society element. I do feel like the reveal was anticlimactic, but I had fun getting to it, so at least there’s that! This was fun!
June 16, 2025
gothic vibes, academic setting, murder mystery, secret society AND a dark and mysterious MMC who is utterly obsessed with the FMC?? ABSOLUTELY YES PLEASE.
May 8, 2025
"She had started it all for her dead sister. He had started it all for his missing brother"
Thoughts
It's official RuNyx has redeemed herself after book 6 in The Dark Verse series with this emotional yet dark and seductive story! The emotional depth this read carried took me by surprise and I ATE IT UP I was so invested in their story as individuals and together that I found myself getting all giddy even during their smuty scenes, I was rooting for them from the first "meet scene" if I'm honest and yes Caz entering the storyline reminded me of Edward Cullen in a good way like I'm not even mad at it because Caz has my heart 😭 Salem is another one of my all time favourite FMC's RuNyx has written to date, I saw bits and pieces of her in myself, questioning her self worth and her value in other people's life... ( I hate being vulnerable but yeah it's me lol )
MMC: Cazimir "Caz" exudes an icy confidence that both intimidates and intrigues, hiding scars and secrets behind sharp words and unreadable expressions. As his connection with Salem intensifies, cracks begin to form in his stoic facade, revealing a man who’s been surviving in the shadows far too long. HIS BACK STORY WILL HURT😭❤️
FMC: Salem is fiercely determined and emotionally guarded, driven by the unresolved disappearance of her sister. She carries the weight of grief and suspicion like armor Beneath her resilience is a quiet vulnerability, and as the mystery deepens, Salem finds herself not just questioning the world around her, but her own instincts. I found myself rooting for her from start to end❤️🩹🥹
Tropes
▪︎ Dark academia
▪︎ Secret societies
▪︎ Rivals to lovers
▪︎ Painter MMC
▪︎ Morbid criminology obsessed FMC
Plot Summary
When Salem Salazar joins Mortimer University, it’s not just for the education—she’s hunting for answers about her sister’s disappearance. Her search leads her into the path of Cazimir van der Waal, a mysterious student with secrets of his own. As they dig into the university’s dark underbelly, secrets, danger, and undeniable chemistry collide.
Final Thoughts
I was hesitant going into this due to reviews lol so just a gentle reminder that books are subjective what might be someone's least favourite might end up being your all time favourite!🫶🏻 with that being said: I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS READ
Thoughts
It's official RuNyx has redeemed herself after book 6 in The Dark Verse series with this emotional yet dark and seductive story! The emotional depth this read carried took me by surprise and I ATE IT UP I was so invested in their story as individuals and together that I found myself getting all giddy even during their smuty scenes, I was rooting for them from the first "meet scene" if I'm honest and yes Caz entering the storyline reminded me of Edward Cullen in a good way like I'm not even mad at it because Caz has my heart 😭 Salem is another one of my all time favourite FMC's RuNyx has written to date, I saw bits and pieces of her in myself, questioning her self worth and her value in other people's life... ( I hate being vulnerable but yeah it's me lol )
MMC: Cazimir "Caz" exudes an icy confidence that both intimidates and intrigues, hiding scars and secrets behind sharp words and unreadable expressions. As his connection with Salem intensifies, cracks begin to form in his stoic facade, revealing a man who’s been surviving in the shadows far too long. HIS BACK STORY WILL HURT😭❤️
FMC: Salem is fiercely determined and emotionally guarded, driven by the unresolved disappearance of her sister. She carries the weight of grief and suspicion like armor Beneath her resilience is a quiet vulnerability, and as the mystery deepens, Salem finds herself not just questioning the world around her, but her own instincts. I found myself rooting for her from start to end❤️🩹🥹
Tropes
▪︎ Dark academia
▪︎ Secret societies
▪︎ Rivals to lovers
▪︎ Painter MMC
▪︎ Morbid criminology obsessed FMC
Plot Summary
When Salem Salazar joins Mortimer University, it’s not just for the education—she’s hunting for answers about her sister’s disappearance. Her search leads her into the path of Cazimir van der Waal, a mysterious student with secrets of his own. As they dig into the university’s dark underbelly, secrets, danger, and undeniable chemistry collide.
Final Thoughts
I was hesitant going into this due to reviews lol so just a gentle reminder that books are subjective what might be someone's least favourite might end up being your all time favourite!🫶🏻 with that being said: I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS READ
breathlessly-anticipating
June 20, 2024If RuNyx writes it I’m reading it 🗣️🗣️
Also dark academia rivals to lovers?! Oh this book is gna eatttt
Also dark academia rivals to lovers?! Oh this book is gna eatttt
July 15, 2025
Release Day!!✨
4/29/25🗓️
Enigma — noun:
A person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand… and this book is exactly that in the best way possible. 🖤🌫️
This dark academia, gothic romance checked all my favorite boxes:
— Murder Mystery 🗡️
— Dark Coastal Setting 🌊
— Found Family vibes 🖤
— Secret Societies and Dangerous Games ⏳
— An Elite, Old University 🏰
— Rivals to Lovers tension so thick you could cut it with a knife ⚔️
— Push/Pull Dynamic: She’s Ice, He’s Fire ❄️🔥
— Possessive of each other in the best way 🖤
— Public Claims… swoon 🥵
— Mysterious Artist MMC + Morbid Criminology-Obsessed FMC 🎨🔬
— High Stakes & Constant Danger lurking around every corner ⚠️💀
Salem and Caz were pure magic together. She’s always been invisible — overlooked, cast aside by her family and the world — until him. The way he truly sees her, even in the quietest moments, had me in my feels. 🥹
Their connection was intense, addictive, and full of that delicious angst I crave. They try to stay away… but fate (and obsession) had other plans.✨
The high stakes, constant danger, and secret society tension kept me flipping the pages, and the dark, misty vibes pulled me all the way in.❤️🔥
This one gave me all the gothic feels I loved from Gothikana — but honestly? Even better. If you’re into secret societies, twisted romance, and characters who were absolutely made for each other, Enigma will own you. 🖤
4/29/25🗓️
Enigma — noun:
A person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand… and this book is exactly that in the best way possible. 🖤🌫️
This dark academia, gothic romance checked all my favorite boxes:
— Murder Mystery 🗡️
— Dark Coastal Setting 🌊
— Found Family vibes 🖤
— Secret Societies and Dangerous Games ⏳
— An Elite, Old University 🏰
— Rivals to Lovers tension so thick you could cut it with a knife ⚔️
— Push/Pull Dynamic: She’s Ice, He’s Fire ❄️🔥
— Possessive of each other in the best way 🖤
— Public Claims… swoon 🥵
— Mysterious Artist MMC + Morbid Criminology-Obsessed FMC 🎨🔬
— High Stakes & Constant Danger lurking around every corner ⚠️💀
Salem and Caz were pure magic together. She’s always been invisible — overlooked, cast aside by her family and the world — until him. The way he truly sees her, even in the quietest moments, had me in my feels. 🥹
Their connection was intense, addictive, and full of that delicious angst I crave. They try to stay away… but fate (and obsession) had other plans.✨
The high stakes, constant danger, and secret society tension kept me flipping the pages, and the dark, misty vibes pulled me all the way in.❤️🔥
This one gave me all the gothic feels I loved from Gothikana — but honestly? Even better. If you’re into secret societies, twisted romance, and characters who were absolutely made for each other, Enigma will own you. 🖤
May 15, 2025
Oh boy. This was rough. There’s some fun going in, but once you’re inside… it’s just a whole lot of nothing. It’s like being promised a rollercoaster and ending up on one of those sad mall trains that goes two miles an hour.
The unnecessary in-depth details were a full-on sensory attack. And the mmc? Why does he sound like a predator lurking in plain sight? I was less worried about romance and more worried about filing a missing person report.
This is my second book from this author and at this point I think it’s time for us to see other people. Every time my friends asked how it was going I just stared into the void and whispered “Bored.” The last few chapters finally picked up but by then I was emotionally checked out and halfway planning my escape.
My first thought after finishing was “I’M FREEEEE.” Picture me running through a field, arms wide, screaming with joy. This book may have taken hours of my life, but at least now I can frolic in peace.
Thank you Netgalley for the arc 💗
Pre read - AAAA I GOT THE ARC!!!
The unnecessary in-depth details were a full-on sensory attack. And the mmc? Why does he sound like a predator lurking in plain sight? I was less worried about romance and more worried about filing a missing person report.
This is my second book from this author and at this point I think it’s time for us to see other people. Every time my friends asked how it was going I just stared into the void and whispered “Bored.” The last few chapters finally picked up but by then I was emotionally checked out and halfway planning my escape.
My first thought after finishing was “I’M FREEEEE.” Picture me running through a field, arms wide, screaming with joy. This book may have taken hours of my life, but at least now I can frolic in peace.
Thank you Netgalley for the arc 💗
Pre read - AAAA I GOT THE ARC!!!
August 5, 2025
“she had looked like a goddess, a mystical creature hovering over the dead, come to life from the sea behind her. and in that one instant, she had become his muse.”
enigma is a novel that tries so hard to be cryptic and clever that it falls so flat that i flipped to the very end, hoping that i would disappear just like the victims in this book, too.
₊˚꒰ 🕰 ꒱ ⊹ i. plot. ₊˚⊹ ꒱
so, remember the secret history by donna tartt? this book clearly does. it tosses us into a mysterious elite college that practically acts like a cult with missing sisters, suspicious professors, and murder. except, nothing ever happens!
salem salazar arrives at mortimer university, all bright-eyed and trauma-trained, to investigate why her sister kicked the bucket. at mortimer, rich kids are being elitist, there are secret societies that potentially murder people, and students who literally throw themselves off a cliff. enter cazimir van der waal, a tall, broody, mysterious dreamboat with the emotional intelligence and bland personality of a traffic cone. he appears from the shadows every now and then to say something creepy, and then vanishes.
oh, i'm sorry, did you want a thrilling plot about missing siblings, secret rituals, and conspiracies? well, that's unfortunate. i wanted that too. also, this book had absolutely no right creeping past 400 pages when the entire "grand mystery" was solved in roughly two paragraphs like an afterthought.
₊˚꒰ 📜 ꒱ ⊹ ii. writing. ₊˚⊹ ꒱
we get these long descriptions and sentences that seem to drag on for an eternity, which literally made me forget where i was, who i was, and why i started reading this in the first place. look, runyx can clearly write a sentence. she can write a very pretty sentence, too. but these pretty sentences reads like it's that one friend who never stops talking.
then, you have full fledged adults talking like, "he's such a hunky chonk of a man! like who's this brooding beefcake?" that literally had me crashing out because this book is supposed to be spooky and gothic with all these creepy dark academia vibes, and then there's this monstrosity.
₊˚꒰ 🕯 ꒱ ⊹ iii. romance and characters. ₊˚⊹ ꒱
salem and caz bond seemly over, well, nothing. every shared moment feels to me like a hostage situation. as much as she swears she's not a serial killer in the making, she has a murder kink. nothing says "happily ever after" like a guy who can literally carve you up with a knife if you piss him off. like, bro is turned on by panic attacks. you should be running away, salem, especially when you're getting pinned up against the wall during said panic attack.
₊˚꒰ 🤎 ꒱ ⊹ iv. conclusion. ₊˚⊹ ꒱
listen, i'll give the book this. the aesthetic and vibes are immaculate, but i was promised a mystery and not 400 pages of nothing.
y'all, this book made me so angry, i wrote this review in 15 minutes. i'm probably going to come back to this and edit it a bit. i'm incredibly hateful when i feel like i've wasted my time.
— 1.5 stars. ⋆˚☆˖°
.° ༘🎧⋆ favourite quotes 🖇₊˚ෆ
“because i was a man on the path to damnation and i saw salvation instead. because being near you makes me feel something beyond rage. because the chaos inside me quietens when i’m near you. you’ve become my muse, little asp.”
“i never dreamed i’d find love, much less contemplate the idea of marriage to anyone. i know it’s my own issues, but now that i have you, that i have us, i want to be better. i want to go into it with you knowing you’re getting the best me i could be.”
“you give me a modicum of peace in a world of chaos.”
“love, deep, true love, was immortal.”
June 15, 2025
I cannot get enough of this author’s voice. Absolutely devoured both of these gothic boarding school romances.
Want to read
April 21, 2025I am ready 🤺🤺🤺🤺🤺
______________________________________
*🤸🤸🤸I found a buddy read
𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘆𝗮 we should wait till April🧘to dive into it angel 💘
*I think it is my most anticipated book in 2025 📢📢📢
______________________________________
*🤸🤸🤸I found a buddy read
𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘆𝗮 we should wait till April🧘to dive into it angel 💘
*I think it is my most anticipated book in 2025 📢📢📢
May 11, 2025
My favorite read this year 👏🔥
•Salem had always thought nothing could beat death, that nothing could be immortal. She’d been wrong. Love, deep, true love, was immortal•
Caz & Salem were…. 🥵🥵👏👏
*Memento Vivere — Remember to Live* ❤️🖤
•Salem had always thought nothing could beat death, that nothing could be immortal. She’d been wrong. Love, deep, true love, was immortal•
Caz & Salem were…. 🥵🥵👏👏
*Memento Vivere — Remember to Live* ❤️🖤
May 15, 2025
The only thing i loved about this book was the dark academia vibes. And the mystery. But the romance was so insta-lusty and so sudden i didn’t feel anything for them tbh. And caz was yess hot but also bland idk!! I just didn’t care about them tbh. But the dark academia vibes ate to be honest its what made me continue 🧍♀️
An i satisfied with the rating? No. But it will have to do for now🧍♀️✋🏻
An i satisfied with the rating? No. But it will have to do for now🧍♀️✋🏻
May 1, 2025
✮⋆˙You give me a modicum of peace in a world of chaos✮⋆˙
Mother Ru has done it again! Gosh, I adore her writing style so much and this didn't let me down! Dark academic romance is one of my favourite genres and this eerie and gothic atmosphere was perfect for it, paired with her beautifully descriptive story telling, I felt like I was right at Mortimer.
The plot was on point! Expect an dark and misty academic setting with lot of mystery, secret societies, steamy romance, rivals to lovers with lots of tension, a possessive MMC (🤭), strong female friendships & lots of second guessing yourself!
Firstly, Salem, I adored as an FMC. She is different but fascinating. She isn't in your face but her presence is so loud throughout this story, the way she holds herself and doesn't shy away from being herself. Understanding her struggles growing up, through not being accepted due to her own fascinations that are out of the ordinary in a well to do society, mixed in with her grief and feeling of having no one stay for her. Then seeing her being loved unapologetically by multiple people, she deserves it all.
Caz, obviously I am obsessed with him. The enigma. The voice of rumbling seas and raspy smoke. He takes possessive and runs with it and I love me a fictional man who is so disgustingly possessive he looses his mind when another man so much as looks at his girl. Not to mention he is down so bad for her. Touch her and die will literally never get old. Of course we want him threatening people over her, of course!
"I want to be the only villain you see. I want to be the only devil who drags you to hell."
The romance, I was sat and seated for Salem and Caz. The way the complimented each other so well, not to mention the tension and the angst was, chefs kiss. They aren't my favourite Ru couple but she still knows how to write romance beautifully, every time she draws me into the most epic love stories.
'Maybe they were both the poison. Maybe they were both the antidote. Maybe what they thought would infect them was going to cure them after all'.
As much as I loved this book, I will say it was on track to be a 5 star read, however; I felt the ending and finding out the truths was wrapped up so quickly! After such a enthralling story, I just wish we had spent a bit more with the Salem and Caz in the aftermath, rather than jumping straight to the epilogues. Therefore I felt my rating drop towards the end.
I would be down bad for a Baron book!!
Favourite Quotes:
"She might not know anything else about him, but she knew that he hasn't left her alone when he had all the reasons to, and that was enough for now."
"Because I was a man on the path to damnation and I saw salvation instead. Because being near you make me feel something beyond rage. Because the chaos inside me quietens when I'm near you"
"Because life with you feels greater than death"
"Salem always thought nothing could beat death, that nothing could be immortal. She'd been wrong. Love, deep, true love, was immortal"
Mother Ru has done it again! Gosh, I adore her writing style so much and this didn't let me down! Dark academic romance is one of my favourite genres and this eerie and gothic atmosphere was perfect for it, paired with her beautifully descriptive story telling, I felt like I was right at Mortimer.
The plot was on point! Expect an dark and misty academic setting with lot of mystery, secret societies, steamy romance, rivals to lovers with lots of tension, a possessive MMC (🤭), strong female friendships & lots of second guessing yourself!
Firstly, Salem, I adored as an FMC. She is different but fascinating. She isn't in your face but her presence is so loud throughout this story, the way she holds herself and doesn't shy away from being herself. Understanding her struggles growing up, through not being accepted due to her own fascinations that are out of the ordinary in a well to do society, mixed in with her grief and feeling of having no one stay for her. Then seeing her being loved unapologetically by multiple people, she deserves it all.
Caz, obviously I am obsessed with him. The enigma. The voice of rumbling seas and raspy smoke. He takes possessive and runs with it and I love me a fictional man who is so disgustingly possessive he looses his mind when another man so much as looks at his girl. Not to mention he is down so bad for her. Touch her and die will literally never get old. Of course we want him threatening people over her, of course!
"I want to be the only villain you see. I want to be the only devil who drags you to hell."
The romance, I was sat and seated for Salem and Caz. The way the complimented each other so well, not to mention the tension and the angst was, chefs kiss. They aren't my favourite Ru couple but she still knows how to write romance beautifully, every time she draws me into the most epic love stories.
'Maybe they were both the poison. Maybe they were both the antidote. Maybe what they thought would infect them was going to cure them after all'.
As much as I loved this book, I will say it was on track to be a 5 star read, however; I felt the ending and finding out the truths was wrapped up so quickly! After such a enthralling story, I just wish we had spent a bit more with the Salem and Caz in the aftermath, rather than jumping straight to the epilogues. Therefore I felt my rating drop towards the end.
I would be down bad for a Baron book!!
Favourite Quotes:
"She might not know anything else about him, but she knew that he hasn't left her alone when he had all the reasons to, and that was enough for now."
"Because I was a man on the path to damnation and I saw salvation instead. Because being near you make me feel something beyond rage. Because the chaos inside me quietens when I'm near you"
"Because life with you feels greater than death"
"Salem always thought nothing could beat death, that nothing could be immortal. She'd been wrong. Love, deep, true love, was immortal"
May 4, 2025
This book is just two boring ass lullaby people having amazing unhinged sex. Darkly and ravenously sexy in smut , childish in story. I rest my case 🤦🏻♂️.
May 17, 2025
STEAMY dark academia with all the dark gothic vibes! 🖤🏰 incredibly intense & full of obsessive passion!
detailed RTC
detailed RTC
May 27, 2025
˙₊➴ ꒰ 1-star★ ꒱ ꒷⊹࣪˖
Fascinated by death, Salem has always been drawn to the dark things others avoid. But when death begins to follow her, leaving behind more than just questions, her obsession turns into something far more dangerous.
Now that she's a student at Mortimer University, an elite school shrouded in legacy, secrets, and shadows. Salem is pulled into a mystery buried deep in its past. Yet as she searches for answers, she must decide: will uncovering the truth save her, or lead her to her own grave?
⊹ ࣪ ˖ੈ Characters
⟡ Salem Salazar - she is peculiar and fascinated with death. Most would call her weird, icy, and stoic, yet she has more to her than what she lets out. She is intelligent, overly curious, and will always see to it that whatever crosses her mind finds its answers (but it would take the whole book before she does, cause she needs to satisfy her curiosity about Caz before all the mystery surrounding Mortimer). Salem has gorgeous curls and curves that will be stated many times in the story.
⟡ Caz van der Waal - he is the overly mysterious and broody double-door refrigerator built man, who is an art genius at Mortimer. He is the thorn in Salem’s side and also the thrill down her spine. He smells like paint and petrichor, possessive and aggressive, and has swirly tattoos, which will be mentioned numerous times in the book as well, cause this will be the only description that will shape his personality (I'm still looking for it).
⊹ ࣪ ˖ੈ Thoughts
I fear this will be a hate review with the emotions Cora and I had reading this. If you loved Enigma, this probably isn’t the review for you. So, please consider clicking away. Thank you!
I love a good atmospheric book. It's often the deciding factor in how much I enjoy a story. In the beginning, Enigma’s writing and world-building hooked me in, but to make a book all mysterious and shadowy to the point that it fogs the whole plot of the story just made me question if the mystery was even relevant to begin with. The mystery didn’t deepen; it just blurred into obscurity. Because what do you mean we were already 70-80% in the book, yet the overall mystery felt like a pimple inside your nostril (it’s there and it's bothering you, you can feel it but can’t see it, and you just want to pop it and move on). And that reveal? wth was that? It felt like a random weekend night that ended just cause an uninvited guest entered the venue.
Now onto the characters, who unfortunately had all the depth of a shadow, no chemistry, and had the most random lore/back stories. Don’t get me wrong, I genuinely liked Salem and was fascinated with her in the beginning, but it slowly took a turn when she prioritized her curiosity with Caz more than finding out the haunting that Mortimer has (mind you, she was obsessed with solving the school's mystery for half of her life, then magically, she sees Caz, and now he has become the only thing orbiting around her brain. I was intrigued by the obsession and possessiveness connection they had, and I wanted a deeper exploration of it. Unfortunately, it just gave us more spice scenes and a reveal that made you think they had a deeper history.
Honestly, this could go on longer, but I'm just going to cut it short. All I can say is that this would have been a 0-star if not for the gothic and eerie build-up of Mortimer. Other than that, it was disappointing to read. I had high hopes, especially as a fan of the Dark Verse series. I was sure this would be the one because it had everything that I wanted (gothic vibes, dark academia, mystery, and romance). But lo and behold, it did not. Nonetheless, thank you for the atmospheric writing, good start, and gothic vibes. 1-star for that.
彡 💌 Huge thanks to Cora for holding my hand as we trudged through the shadow of this book. Even though we knew deep down we were likely heading toward disappointment, we kept reading, hoping it might surprise us. It didn’t. Not even a little. But hey, at least we had each other. The real plot twist and reveal was that we survived this! Peep her review here🖤
The stars in the eerie dusk sky have finally aligned! buddy-reading with my dark rom loving babe, Cora!🥀🩶
❝ But weren’t they all rotting, at different speeds and to different degrees? ❞
Fascinated by death, Salem has always been drawn to the dark things others avoid. But when death begins to follow her, leaving behind more than just questions, her obsession turns into something far more dangerous.
Now that she's a student at Mortimer University, an elite school shrouded in legacy, secrets, and shadows. Salem is pulled into a mystery buried deep in its past. Yet as she searches for answers, she must decide: will uncovering the truth save her, or lead her to her own grave?
⊹ ࣪ ˖ੈ Characters
⟡ Salem Salazar - she is peculiar and fascinated with death. Most would call her weird, icy, and stoic, yet she has more to her than what she lets out. She is intelligent, overly curious, and will always see to it that whatever crosses her mind finds its answers (but it would take the whole book before she does, cause she needs to satisfy her curiosity about Caz before all the mystery surrounding Mortimer). Salem has gorgeous curls and curves that will be stated many times in the story.
❝ Death was a curious thing. Planned or unplanned, mitigated or unmitigated, cruel or comfortable, it was the only universal truth that everyone lied about. ❞
❝ Forensics never lie, professor. No matter how deeply buried, it always carries the truth. One just has to unveil it. That’s my job. I will uncover the truth. ❞
⟡ Caz van der Waal - he is the overly mysterious and broody double-door refrigerator built man, who is an art genius at Mortimer. He is the thorn in Salem’s side and also the thrill down her spine. He smells like paint and petrichor, possessive and aggressive, and has swirly tattoos, which will be mentioned numerous times in the book as well, cause this will be the only description that will shape his personality (I'm still looking for it).
❝ Try it. Try walking off a cliff, I will block you. Try making yourself bait, I will catch you. And try being with another man, I will use his blood and make you the canvas. ❞
❝ Because I was a man on the path to damnation and I saw salvation instead. Because being near you makes me feel something beyond rage. Because the chaos inside me quietens when I’m near you. You’ve become my muse, little asp. ❞
⊹ ࣪ ˖ੈ Thoughts
❝ Salem had always thought nothing could beat death, that nothing could be immortal. She’d been wrong. Love, deep, true love, was immortal. ❞
I fear this will be a hate review with the emotions Cora and I had reading this. If you loved Enigma, this probably isn’t the review for you. So, please consider clicking away. Thank you!
I love a good atmospheric book. It's often the deciding factor in how much I enjoy a story. In the beginning, Enigma’s writing and world-building hooked me in, but to make a book all mysterious and shadowy to the point that it fogs the whole plot of the story just made me question if the mystery was even relevant to begin with. The mystery didn’t deepen; it just blurred into obscurity. Because what do you mean we were already 70-80% in the book, yet the overall mystery felt like a pimple inside your nostril (it’s there and it's bothering you, you can feel it but can’t see it, and you just want to pop it and move on). And that reveal? wth was that? It felt like a random weekend night that ended just cause an uninvited guest entered the venue.
Now onto the characters, who unfortunately had all the depth of a shadow, no chemistry, and had the most random lore/back stories. Don’t get me wrong, I genuinely liked Salem and was fascinated with her in the beginning, but it slowly took a turn when she prioritized her curiosity with Caz more than finding out the haunting that Mortimer has (mind you, she was obsessed with solving the school's mystery for half of her life, then magically, she sees Caz, and now he has become the only thing orbiting around her brain. I was intrigued by the obsession and possessiveness connection they had, and I wanted a deeper exploration of it. Unfortunately, it just gave us more spice scenes and a reveal that made you think they had a deeper history.
❝ Death still was inevitable, but life was more beautiful somehow because of it. ❞
Honestly, this could go on longer, but I'm just going to cut it short. All I can say is that this would have been a 0-star if not for the gothic and eerie build-up of Mortimer. Other than that, it was disappointing to read. I had high hopes, especially as a fan of the Dark Verse series. I was sure this would be the one because it had everything that I wanted (gothic vibes, dark academia, mystery, and romance). But lo and behold, it did not. Nonetheless, thank you for the atmospheric writing, good start, and gothic vibes. 1-star for that.
彡 💌 Huge thanks to Cora for holding my hand as we trudged through the shadow of this book. Even though we knew deep down we were likely heading toward disappointment, we kept reading, hoping it might surprise us. It didn’t. Not even a little. But hey, at least we had each other. The real plot twist and reveal was that we survived this! Peep her review here🖤
The stars in the eerie dusk sky have finally aligned! buddy-reading with my dark rom loving babe, Cora!🥀🩶
May 3, 2025
It’s a RuNyx book, so the review won’t be short by any means, even if I can just go ahead and tell you:
“A Caz art masterpiece wrapped in Salem’s skymind, written in soul, poetry, and an abyss of echoes and feelings. All threaded with mystery, chemistry, and meaning.” – Grace, an undone reader
But I can’t just tell you that now, can I?
So here are my thoughts:
⭐Rating
My heart says 5 stars. My gut says 4.5. It feels unfair to go lower when so much care, grief, and art were poured into this story.
Yes, I had questions. Yes, I needed more closure.
But yes, I felt this story in my bones.
Sometimes we have to find closure in the unknown, and that’s something RuNyx taught us with Morana and in Gothikana, specifically.
So I’ll meet myself halfway and say:
RuNyx gave us a book that speaks to grief, chemistry, chaos, and the quiet act of choosing to live.
It’s not perfect. But it’s sacred.
🖤 Voice of Smoke and Sea
No one writes voices like RuNyx. She should seriously get an award just for that.
I could hear Caz before he even spoke, and it did something to my insides.
The audiobook as a whole was a perfect vessel for Enigma.
Jaclyn Kelso, the narrator, was incredible. She embodied Salem so well, her male voice was chef’s kiss, and while I do wish we had a duet narration, her performance helped me savour this world and transported me there.
Aiden Snow did not miss either; he delivered on the voice of smoke and sea, and goodness, it was like a balm for my soul.
🧬 The alchemy of RuNyx’s love stories
The romance in Enigma isn't just chemistry—it’s alchemy.
RuNyx lovers aren’t just written to fall for each other. They’re already connected. By something deeper. Threaded together by a kind of chemistry that feels fated, electric, ancient. The silent communication, the mirrored wavelengths, the magnetic pull that exists before a word is spoken.
And yes, for some readers, it might feel like insta-love, but for those who really look, it’s two souls whose lives have been quietly moving toward one another, until they collide and recognise each other at the precise moment they’re most needed.
This isn’t sudden—it’s inevitable, just like death. And it becomes immortal and immortalised.
The way Caz and Salem orbit each other? The kind of love Ru writes about teaches us that love can be silent, wordless, and still louder than anything else. Runyx’s characters don’t need to say “I love you” for you to feel it.
It teaches something powerful: that love can be known without words, understood in a glance, and felt in the marrow.
It invites us—old and new generations alike—to unlearn narrow definitions of love and open ourselves to something deeper, truer, wilder.
⚰️ Life, Death, and the Art of Breathing
RuNyx writes contrasts like no other. The way death and life interweave from morbid curiosity and an inevitability, to the act of coming alive and living life despite that is to be studied.
Death in Enigma makes me feel like I want to live life where I can meet mine with a smile, whether it will be a star in the sky or a simple biological equation.
The story doesn’t shy away from grief, loss, or the painful silence between family members. Knowing that RuNyx wrote this while grieving her own mother makes this narrative even more powerful. It’s catharsis on paper. And I genuinely feel privileged to be able to read this and for her to share it with us.
We saw Salem’s forensic brain at the start, sharp and curious. While it did fade into the emotional arc later on, I loved that shift—it marked her growth. Loneliness, which was once a loud ache, became an old friend, and Salem made new and “present” ones.
🖋️ Writing and Storytelling
Here’s the deal—I usually take RuNyx books for what they intend to be, and Enigma is, at its core, a story about loneliness and understanding death. For that? It’s a 5-star book.
However, there are questions left open. I was okay with not knowing everything, but I needed a few more crumbs about some main plot threads. 🌀
But,
RuNyx doesn’t spoon-feed her readers. She writes like someone who knows every detail in the back of her mind (because, duh, she does) but chooses to give us only what the MC know or how they process the world and things around them. I love this. Her writing shifts based on whose POV we’re in, proof of her brilliance.
💫And, every time she drops a Ru-verse mention, my heart grows a little and does a happy dance. I felt like we were being gifted little Easter eggs. 💫
🔎What I need more of:
I mean, if RuNyx blesses us with all of this? Yes, please.
• More Caz. RuNyx men are so complex and deep, and her love of psychology shines in them, and I need everything.
• A longer fallout arc – the behind-the-scenes and the aftermath (the answers to some of my questions)
• More Caz-Baron interactions
--
Pre-read:
It's here and it's the only reason I am rushing to meet my work deadline.
Kdn, it's work, but Ru is motivation!
--
Ugh THIS couple!
From RuNyx's newsletter:
Where she is ice, he is fire; she's organization, he's chaos; she is precision, he is passion.
--
Salem = Peace / Cazimir = Destroyer of peace / Mortimer = To die
I love RuNyx's brain and her symbolism.
April 2025 can't come any sooner!
“A Caz art masterpiece wrapped in Salem’s skymind, written in soul, poetry, and an abyss of echoes and feelings. All threaded with mystery, chemistry, and meaning.” – Grace, an undone reader
But I can’t just tell you that now, can I?
So here are my thoughts:
⭐Rating
My heart says 5 stars. My gut says 4.5. It feels unfair to go lower when so much care, grief, and art were poured into this story.
Yes, I had questions. Yes, I needed more closure.
But yes, I felt this story in my bones.
Sometimes we have to find closure in the unknown, and that’s something RuNyx taught us with Morana and in Gothikana, specifically.
So I’ll meet myself halfway and say:
RuNyx gave us a book that speaks to grief, chemistry, chaos, and the quiet act of choosing to live.
It’s not perfect. But it’s sacred.
🖤 Voice of Smoke and Sea
No one writes voices like RuNyx. She should seriously get an award just for that.
I could hear Caz before he even spoke, and it did something to my insides.
The audiobook as a whole was a perfect vessel for Enigma.
Jaclyn Kelso, the narrator, was incredible. She embodied Salem so well, her male voice was chef’s kiss, and while I do wish we had a duet narration, her performance helped me savour this world and transported me there.
Aiden Snow did not miss either; he delivered on the voice of smoke and sea, and goodness, it was like a balm for my soul.
🧬 The alchemy of RuNyx’s love stories
The romance in Enigma isn't just chemistry—it’s alchemy.
RuNyx lovers aren’t just written to fall for each other. They’re already connected. By something deeper. Threaded together by a kind of chemistry that feels fated, electric, ancient. The silent communication, the mirrored wavelengths, the magnetic pull that exists before a word is spoken.
And yes, for some readers, it might feel like insta-love, but for those who really look, it’s two souls whose lives have been quietly moving toward one another, until they collide and recognise each other at the precise moment they’re most needed.
This isn’t sudden—it’s inevitable, just like death. And it becomes immortal and immortalised.
The way Caz and Salem orbit each other? The kind of love Ru writes about teaches us that love can be silent, wordless, and still louder than anything else. Runyx’s characters don’t need to say “I love you” for you to feel it.
It teaches something powerful: that love can be known without words, understood in a glance, and felt in the marrow.
It invites us—old and new generations alike—to unlearn narrow definitions of love and open ourselves to something deeper, truer, wilder.
⚰️ Life, Death, and the Art of Breathing
RuNyx writes contrasts like no other. The way death and life interweave from morbid curiosity and an inevitability, to the act of coming alive and living life despite that is to be studied.
Death in Enigma makes me feel like I want to live life where I can meet mine with a smile, whether it will be a star in the sky or a simple biological equation.
The story doesn’t shy away from grief, loss, or the painful silence between family members. Knowing that RuNyx wrote this while grieving her own mother makes this narrative even more powerful. It’s catharsis on paper. And I genuinely feel privileged to be able to read this and for her to share it with us.
We saw Salem’s forensic brain at the start, sharp and curious. While it did fade into the emotional arc later on, I loved that shift—it marked her growth. Loneliness, which was once a loud ache, became an old friend, and Salem made new and “present” ones.
🖋️ Writing and Storytelling
Here’s the deal—I usually take RuNyx books for what they intend to be, and Enigma is, at its core, a story about loneliness and understanding death. For that? It’s a 5-star book.
However, there are questions left open. I was okay with not knowing everything, but I needed a few more crumbs about some main plot threads. 🌀
But,
RuNyx doesn’t spoon-feed her readers. She writes like someone who knows every detail in the back of her mind (because, duh, she does) but chooses to give us only what the MC know or how they process the world and things around them. I love this. Her writing shifts based on whose POV we’re in, proof of her brilliance.
💫And, every time she drops a Ru-verse mention, my heart grows a little and does a happy dance. I felt like we were being gifted little Easter eggs. 💫
🔎What I need more of:
I mean, if RuNyx blesses us with all of this? Yes, please.
• More Caz. RuNyx men are so complex and deep, and her love of psychology shines in them, and I need everything.
• A longer fallout arc – the behind-the-scenes and the aftermath (the answers to some of my questions)
• More Caz-Baron interactions
--
Pre-read:
It's here and it's the only reason I am rushing to meet my work deadline.
Kdn, it's work, but Ru is motivation!
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Ugh THIS couple!
From RuNyx's newsletter:
Where she is ice, he is fire; she's organization, he's chaos; she is precision, he is passion.
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Salem = Peace / Cazimir = Destroyer of peace / Mortimer = To die
I love RuNyx's brain and her symbolism.
April 2025 can't come any sooner!
June 18, 2025
I mostly "read" this book through the audio version on Spotify. I almost consumed all of my audiobook hours for this one and I'm still trying to decide if that was worth it or not.
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This book follows our FMC, named Salem, who starts going to school at Mortimer University to find out what happened to her sister, who was killed while going to the same school. She meets Caz Van der Waal, which leads to her falling in over her head.
She finds the answers she was looking for, ultimately, but at what cost? She has to figure out what her boundaries are after her life is threatened and it leaves her questioning everything she knew and loved.
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This book is NOT for me. I absolutely hated it. It is a clear rip-off of Gothikana except that instead of teacher-student romance, it's two students. It was also marketed from what I saw as Hades x Persephone, which is also not true.
I struggled to finish this book and almost didn't finish it at all. I almost put it down about 50% of the way through it and wish I had put it down. I know I won't be reading anything else by RuNyx, which disappoints me.
I normally love Hades x Persephone retellings, which is one of the main reasons I picked this book up. It wasn't worth it. I normally don't complain this much and bash a book as much as I'm bashing this one but I'm writing this review more for me than anyone else.
I'm sorry if this review sounds overly negative but I feel revulsion toward this book. I normally don't read books marked as "dark academia" and I think I need to stay away from the trope/genre for good. The same thing goes for bully romances, which I've done for the most part since 2024.
I don't recommend this book if you aren't into dark romance books or darker academia novels. This book was definitely not for me, which I've mentioned earlier on in my review. I did like the ending but that's about it. The ending redeemed the book slightly and kept me from giving it 1 star.
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This book follows our FMC, named Salem, who starts going to school at Mortimer University to find out what happened to her sister, who was killed while going to the same school. She meets Caz Van der Waal, which leads to her falling in over her head.
She finds the answers she was looking for, ultimately, but at what cost? She has to figure out what her boundaries are after her life is threatened and it leaves her questioning everything she knew and loved.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
This book is NOT for me. I absolutely hated it. It is a clear rip-off of Gothikana except that instead of teacher-student romance, it's two students. It was also marketed from what I saw as Hades x Persephone, which is also not true.
I struggled to finish this book and almost didn't finish it at all. I almost put it down about 50% of the way through it and wish I had put it down. I know I won't be reading anything else by RuNyx, which disappoints me.
I normally love Hades x Persephone retellings, which is one of the main reasons I picked this book up. It wasn't worth it. I normally don't complain this much and bash a book as much as I'm bashing this one but I'm writing this review more for me than anyone else.
I'm sorry if this review sounds overly negative but I feel revulsion toward this book. I normally don't read books marked as "dark academia" and I think I need to stay away from the trope/genre for good. The same thing goes for bully romances, which I've done for the most part since 2024.
I don't recommend this book if you aren't into dark romance books or darker academia novels. This book was definitely not for me, which I've mentioned earlier on in my review. I did like the ending but that's about it. The ending redeemed the book slightly and kept me from giving it 1 star.
April 16, 2025
okayyyy lmao i tried so hard not to dnf this one but caz telling her to “take care of my pussy” is my final straw, time of death 70% 💀
i unfortunately just dont think runyxs books are for me. i think they have amazing premises, they start off strong and then for me personally they just never seem to live up to what theyre described as. i shouldnt be 70% into a book wondering where the hell the secret society aspect of this book is.
the relationship shouldnt feel like it was out of nowhere, they have a handful of interactions and then weirdly all of a sudden are together… theres also a huge lack of chemistry for me between the two. FMC is somehow a pick me yet has absolutely no personality, MMC is also insanely bland other than possessive.
theres not a whole lot of actual investigating going on either. plot is kind of also nonexistent?
to sum up my experience of reading it, there are a whole lot of words but not a lot actually happening lol.
i unfortunately just dont think runyxs books are for me. i think they have amazing premises, they start off strong and then for me personally they just never seem to live up to what theyre described as. i shouldnt be 70% into a book wondering where the hell the secret society aspect of this book is.
the relationship shouldnt feel like it was out of nowhere, they have a handful of interactions and then weirdly all of a sudden are together… theres also a huge lack of chemistry for me between the two. FMC is somehow a pick me yet has absolutely no personality, MMC is also insanely bland other than possessive.
theres not a whole lot of actual investigating going on either. plot is kind of also nonexistent?
to sum up my experience of reading it, there are a whole lot of words but not a lot actually happening lol.
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