Red by Jennifer Anne Davis (2nd book of True Reign Series)

Sentenced to be executed.
Betrayed. Alone. 
Hung on the gallows. 
Rema thought her life was over, but she was wrong.

Saved by a rebel force she’d only ever heard rumors about, Rema finds herself in a forbidden place. She is finally safe—free from the king and Prince Lennek. But not everything is as it seems at the rebel fortress. Secrets are whispered, and loyalties are tested. Once Rema uncovers the truth of her heritage, will she flee? Or will she ascend to the throne, taking on the responsibility of an entire kingdom?

Now that Darmik knows Rema’s true identity, he’s on a quest to save her. But when an Emperion assassin arrives on Greenwood Island, Darmik knows he doesn’t have very long to find her. In a deadly game with high stakes, will Darmik remain loyal to his family? Or will he break away and join the rebels?

Kingdoms rise and fall. 
Heroes are born and made. 
But one thing remains the same—love conquers all.

This novel thoroughly irked me. Sure, it was enjoyable enough (though I can't tell exactly why) but there were so many problems I had with it.

In my personal opinion, Rema does not show the necessary skills to become queen. She is kind and beautiful, but has nothing else going for her. A main character should have the right mix of uniqueness to set them apart from the other characters while also making sure they're not overpowered and made to be wayyy better than everyone else. Rema is placed on a pedestal compared to all the other characters with no valuable traits to back it up. She should have earned the people's respect, but it was just handed to her.

The plot fairly dull and can be described as "everything revolves around Rema." Really, this series has been all about protecting Rema but it has given me no reason to want Rema to be protected. The pacing was all over the place randomly skipping weeks/days. There were also parts in the novel that just made me cringe that I had to put the book down.

We did get to see more of the side characters. But, I didn't really enjoy them that much. Savenek had the potential to be an interesting character, which he was, but that was quickly ruined. His personality did a complete flip for the worsebecause of sudden love for Rema. WHAT WAS UP WITH THAT SUDDEN HAREM?! 

The love triangle was not necessary AT ALL. It added nothing but extra drama. All the romance in this book seemed to be handled poorly. Not only was there an unnecessary love triangle, but in the midst of a freaking WAR, characters decide to get all up close and personal with each other. WHAT. I THOUGHT WE WERE PAST THIS.

I have very mixed feelings about the ending of this book. I liked the last 10% but in the last 2% I was just really irritated.