The Library Podcast Review

I was so thrilled when Holly and Dylan at the Lebanon Library featured my book on their podcast. Here's what they said....

Review of THE KALEIDOSCOPE CHRONICLES: LOST IN DARA, the first book in a new YA Fantasy series, by Holly Browning and Dylan Posa of the Lebanon Public Library, June 2025.

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT:

I am going to start us off with an amazing brand-new book in the Young Adult genre.  It’s the first book in THE KALEIDOSCOPE CHRONICLES by Robert Barrett. It’s perfect for kids, but like the many adults I know who loved reading stories like Harry Potter, you're never too old to get into a good book, and believe me, this is a good book!

I'm also giving a huge shout out to this book!  THE KALEIDOSCOPE CHRONICLES: LOST IN DARA is by Robert Barrett and he’s a local author right here in Cincinnati, Ohio. He’s also an active member in our Lebanon Library Write Club, and as a published author, he not only contributes with the critiques on the writing side, but he also shares a lot of wisdom for the business side.

I wanted to shout it out is because this book is excellent!  I really do think it needs to be shouted out!  Your kids and adults will love this book!  THE KALEIDOSCOPE CHRONICLES is an epic and magical story, part of a planned 7-book series. The magical worlds are based off of the colors— you know the ROYGBIV colors of the rainbow. The story starts with three siblings who get find a kaleidoscope and get pulled into these magical lands with names like Dara, Nima, and Kasa.

 Mr. Barrett did a great job with this story! It’s very detailed and very well told. You know right away that this is going to be a very good series by the quality of the first book!  I just finished the second book and I'm telling you, it’s worth reading. As a Young Adult Fantasy, ages 8 to 14 would be like the main target, but like I said, it's for all adults as well, filled with detailed characterization, fantastic world building and a fun plot.

There may be other books in this genre with magic rooted in colors, but this is very in-depth!  And color is something so universal.  We all pick our favorite colors, and we all see colors in a different way which is what makes THE KALEIDOSCOPE CHRONICLES so interesting and so much fun.

I think Barrett really has something special with THE KALEIDOSCOPE CHRONICLES.  I appreciate stories with an overarching formula. Like the fact that the story concept, book design, and even the included full-page illustrations (which were drawn by one of his daughters who is an artist) are all based on colors and the workings of a kaleidoscope.

 I really appreciated how everything in the story fits into his overarching structure. A lot of thought was put into this story. The bottom line—THE KALEIDOSCOPE CHRONICLES: LOST IN DARA by ROBERT BARRETT is a wonderful start to an epic YA FANTASY series. I just finished Book Two: ESCAPE FROM NIMA, and I find myself anxiously awaiting the debut of each new world in the Seven!