Enigma: A Dark Academia Romance Hardcover – April 29, 2025

Solidified: I am RuNyx’s target reader.This is the second book of hers that I’ve binged in about 2 days, which is unheard of for me with any other authors. Everything about her Gothic settings and particular flavor of dark romance positively speaks to my happy reader heart.Once again, her hardback book is GORGEOUS, especially with the deeply romantic classic literature quotes imposed over moody, atmospheric photos in between chapters. The map by Virginia Allyn sets ambience and tone. The stunning endpaper illustration by Julie Dillon has you wishing you were the one in Caz’s arms. The sprayed edges shaded like deep water near a cliffside are a poetry of their own. Chef’s kiss, chef’s hug, chef’s exuberant embrace for all that thoughtful design.The journey of growth for our FMC is one of the best executed I’ve seen, and is truly the primary focus of the story. Her perspective begins in isolation but we see her empathy expand and her view of the world widen as she begins to let others in.Our MMC Caz is my new book boyfriend. You can’t have him; his dark artist heart belongs with mine. His words and actions had me reacting aloud with cheers and sighs as I fell for him brushstroke by brushstroke.One of the author’s unique strengths is in recognizing the beauty in our darker traits and penning poetic declarations that would be unbecoming in any other setting, but are swoon-worthy in this context.Audio: This book is primarily from Salem’s perspective, but there is Dual Narration with an excellent voice portraying Caz. Both narrators are very engaging.Cons:-The final “action” sequence from the underlying drama takes place in literally 11 pages (of 473). For the threat to have been so sinister, it felt too easily resolved, leaving the impression that the author wasn’t really sure how else to flesh it out.-Just as with Gothikana, I did have some unanswered questions. This is not the dealbreaker for me that it is for most readers, I fear. But it’s probably helpful to know, going in, that RuNyx doesn’t like to give you a full plate of answers. Go in embracing some mystery.

This book was lighter than her usual style of writing despite the subject matter being dark and the gothic theme. I enjoyed the way she seamlessly built upon Salem’s character and how unique it was to live inside her head. This character, while distinct, reminded me of liking Morana’s brainy ways so much. The essence of finding love and companionship between two lonely souls was so well portrayed. I remember feeling so sorry for Tristan and his life, and Caz’ backstory evoked some of that same empathy. Overall, a much sweeter take on a gothic dark romance with a bit of a rushed climax scene that could have been drawn out a bit more. It felt almost deliberate as though she did not want this book to seem as dark as her previous work. What it really did, was make me appreciate and plan to read Gothikana again for the spooky vibes. I recommend this to any fan of Runyx since I’m a diehard fan who will read anything she writes, always! It’s not likely to be one I reach for again and again like her other works, but it has moments that will resonate. 4 stars!

Rating: 3.5⭐️Enigma truly is a great story line with a great love story. It is written in third person and as a reader who prefers first, it makes it a little different. Thankfully this one didn’t miss a beat. It was still good. On another overall book preference, as much as I appreciated the pictures/quotes before each chapter, this is NOT great for those listening to the audiobooks.Now on to the love story: Salem and Caz I loved as a couple. The tension between the two were undeniable. Salem going to Mortimer was hands down the best thing that could have happened to her. After losing her sister and her dad, she needed a space to find herself. While her brain runs on a 10 at all times and she truly doesn’t think before just following danger, it did bring her to Caz in a way!Thankfully they both accept the secrets, dark, and misunderstandings of each other. His obsession and protectiveness over her…truly a dream. It was hot and spicy even if there were not real spice scenes. Which there absolutely were! Overall, I enjoyed this read and the overall premise of the plot.

RuNyx has a way of world-building and creating characters that feels fully fleshed-out, so when I read her books not only am I transported, I can also envision everything very clearly. I always feel her books are perfectly written to be movies, and in my mind they read cinematically. Enigma is no different. I could very clearly picture Salem, Caz and Mortimer University in ways that made the storyline quick-paced and entirely whole. I love this about her books!This is a dark academia goldmine! Secret societies, possible hauntings, seemingly desolate beach-scape with ominous lighthouse. The mood was spot on. Salem and Caz are a not too slow, slow-burn romance, and have some great tension at the start. Caz may just be your new favorite dark and broody, tattooed, MMC. He has a dark past, he’s territorial, and he’s a mercurial artist. Salem is a curvy FMC, and I much appreciated an FMC that is not the usual body type.Enigma had multi-faceted themes of found family, finding confidence in self, and learning to trust that really can speak to readers on a deeper level as well.RuNyx never disappoints. Her books, to me, are great palate cleansers. You can pick them up knowing you’re going to have a hard time putting them down. They move quickly, and you can transport into her Gothic-themed worlds entirely. Perfect for a train ride books. Perfect for a rainy day in bed books. Enigma is a perfect entry level to dark romance books!!If you loved Gothikana, you will love Enigma. However, if her Dark Verse series is more your cup of tea this might not be dark enough for you. Give it a try though!Enigma was a joy to read. I was waiting for this after I saw it pop up as to be published and I was not disappointed. 12/10 recommend.