My partner and I polished off the Red Rising series (Book #7 still to come). They're not literary masterpieces but it was a very entertaining time, they're accessible page turners. My partner is more discerning than I am, about what she reads, so I wasn't expecting her to give it a go. However one day she began the series herself, while I was reading book #4. Then, because she reads so much faster than I do, she read the first three before I finished #4, then stole book #4 from my bedside table. She read it, returned it, and carried on with the series. I've just started House of Leaves which is uhhh a tonal shift.
Does the second trilogy hold up? Morningstar was sufficiently satisfying a conclusion that I didn't feel much urge to go back for a second helping.
Reading Iron Gold I found myself struggling to get through it. There was a timeskip and a sudden shift to multiple POVs. Both aspects surprised me and I found myself trudging through it a little bit. It was hard to suddenly care about these strangers after having one POV the entire time. However about 1/3 of the way through it clicked and I was on board again, as things began to coalesce. The next two books I didn't have any issues with and devoured them greedily. Especially as later on you get the POV of a character whose head I always wanted to get inside of. I also felt Morningstar finished in such a way that had nothing else been written after, I'd have been happy. That said I'm very glad I got past my initial reluctance in fourth book, it was well worth it and I'm hanging out for the final book now!