Sofia Wren — Be yourself, write for your book or business and FEEL the love. Make faster progress and always know what to do next because you hear your intuition and trust it. Use writing for transformational leadership and service.

Hunger Games Movie

by SofiaWren on March 26, 2012

So, how was the Hunger Games? According to statistics about the past opening weekend, tickets resulted in $155 million in sales. So that’s pretty good, as it tripled Twilight’s first sales, and closely followed Harry Potter and Dark Knight.

I loved it. Yes, I’ve read all the books and yes it has minor changes like all books turned movies do. But this book was made to rock the screen. The reasons being that Suzanne Collins, the author worked for years in television, and that the book was probably made with the screen in mind. Her other works include my favorite Clarissa Explains it All (yes it was an amazing show wasn’t it?). You can tell her perspective from the behind the scenes look at the game-show crossed with reality TV Hunger Games Event, as well as the inside politics of the game-makers, stylists, and mentors. The movie is even more action packed than the book so even teens can tear themselves away from their cellphones to be fully engrossed in the two and a half hour movie.

The amazing costumes of the Capital are great: weird, colorful and an expression of a vapid populace. Effie Trinket, portrayed by Elizabeth Banks, was better than I could have ever imaged. She’s the one in the pink and purple hair and outfits. I loved the scene with Katniss and Peeta when they parade in their flaming costumes. I also loved that Lenny Kravitz played Cinna, I thought he gave the role an extra depth. Also I enjoy the contrast between Gail–who looks like the typical strong jawed teen hunk–and Peeta, who is sleek haired and looks more like the guy you would never realize has had a crush on you your whole life. Katniss herself is beautiful in a natural, dignified way, and an actress who got me crying more than one time. I was really impressed how mature her character was, and glad that held from the book.

Ok so what got cut? The books are written in first person from the perspective huntress Katniss Everdeen, and include her musings on her father’s death, her shaky relationship with her Mother, her opinions of the other residents in her district, her knowledge of woodland plants and animals, etc. etc. Needless to say, everything from her home is simplied, and the explanations of her father’s death are explicated in artsy flashbacks that wouldn’t make a lot of sense without reading the book.

President Snow is totally different from how I pictured him–he has white snow yes, but I pictured more of a creepy snake eyed man (maybe sort of Voldemort like). Donald Sutherland is great, he looks like a man I can trust, not one who freaks me out. And where is his rose? He is depicted in his rose garden in one scene, but the everpresent rose in his lapel is noticeably missing.
Even with these minor changes, I had a great time. I would recommend this movie to those who love the books and to those who’ve never read them alike.

{ 0 comments }

Thriller: The Voynich Cypher by Russell Blake — 5 Stars

by SofiaWren on March 15, 2012

I will admit up front, I’m not a huge fan of suspenseful gun packed action-adventure stories involving cyphers and secret societies. Sure I’ve read and enjoyed The Da Vinci Code, but Angels and Demons by the same author has sat on my shelf unread for years.

The premise is Dr. Steven Cross, crypotologist widower, is surprised by Natalie super-hot chick in catsuit with the unfortunate news that suddenly an intellectual exercise of his, The Voynich Cypher, has become a life or death riddle. They must escape the Order, a section of the Catholic Church, as well as other, more ruthless, opponents, all of whom are after a secret he has yet to decode.

After a page of this book, I was hooked and into the story. Russell Blake writes a tight novel, and The Voynich Cypher is incredibly readable, and fast paced. The author does a fantastic job of describing Italy, a place I have visited dozens of times myself. The story ushers us through several Italian cities, as well as historical places like an old mausoleum in Rome. The main characters even have time to eat delicious Italian food and sip fine wines while they run from their perusers around the peninsula. I was very impressed by the research that must have been done to create the map of historical points, and the context of the Cypher within history.

All and all a good read! Well done.

Read about it on:

Russell Blake’s Site

The Voynich Cypher (Dr. Steven Cross Series #2) on Amazon

Russell on Smashwords

Reviewer received a copy in exchange for a review

{ 0 comments }

Dark Fantasy: Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop — Five Stars

by SofiaWren on February 27, 2012

I loved this book, I read it all week, unable and unwilling to do many banal tasks. It saw me at night and in the morning, at work and in my off time. Rarely do I come across a book that compels me like this, is satisfyingly easy to read and get through as well as being intelligent enough to keep my interest piqued in the world, characters and plot. You can tell immediately that even though this is a first book, it was written after a great deal of careful planning and world crafting.

This is a matriarchal society where men serve stronger females. Magic level is determined by jewel color, and one has the ability to level up to a higher color once reaching adulthood. For women this is the first time they have sex, where they can become more powerful with a trustworthy man, or be shattered and descend into madness with an untrustworthy one. This creates a balance between the sexes.

In the current world the natural order has been perverted. An evil queen has killed of powerful females and males who would be their rival. Powerful men are enslaved and forced to submit to humiliation, sexual servitude and even castration for her amusement. The only thing that can stop her is a more powerful Witch, but she hasn’t arrived for centuries and when she does, she’ll still have to survive until adulthood.

The book occurs in multiple levels, including a hell dimension with an overlord and daemon dead sortof like morally conscious vampires. There is also a race on the ground with wings, and one that is snakelike.

Daemon SaDiablo is the main male lead–an extremely powerful slave made to serve the queen and her legions for millennia. Somehow he had made rebellion an integral part of his personality and still strikes fear into the hearts of all, his nickname being “the Sadist.”

When a powerful witch is born, he could be her strongest ally or her worst enemy.

Read this book!! It blows all the others I’ve read recently away.

Daughter of the Blood (Black Jewels, Book 1) On Amazon

{ 0 comments }

Chicklit: One Pink Line by Dina Silver — 4.5 Stars

by SofiaWren on February 15, 2012

So looking to read something girly? One Pink Line is the chant of a college student waiting anxiously to know if she is– as she suspects–pregnant. And not with her boyfriend’s baby either, but the outcome of a drunken fraternity party. Whoops.. and for some reason, though no one supports her, she decides to keep it.

And as in every good chickflick–it has a happy ending! Cute as a newborn baby, and feel good, too.

An easy read though It’s not the shortest book, with a meaty middle, but the story touches your heart and encourages you to read more. Once you get deep enough into it, there become two stories, one from the future, alongside the preexisting storyline. I didn’t catch it right away so for a moment I was confused, but it gives you a sense of what is going to happen–that everything is going to be alright. I was still compelled to hear it for myself and read all the way to the end with as few breaks as possible!

Received book in exchange for a review

See it on One Pink Line

{ 0 comments }

Paranormal Romance: Damian’s Oracle by Lizzie Ford — Three Stars

by SofiaWren on January 31, 2012

I gave Damian’s Oracle 3 stars. I thought the world was complex enough to be interesting but well explained enough to understand.

I will admit one reason this is a three for me is because I love a juicy sex scene! Really whats the point of romance otherwise? Won’t find that here though there is a great deal of tension and build up that may satisfy others.

The character Sofia is smart, and perhaps a bit more moody than average, but she is undergoing drastic changes. Damian is super hot, which is why I was way disappointed by the fade to black.

The book is very suspenseful, things start rolling right away and you’ll want to know what happens next.

For what I believe is a self published ebook I also thought it was well edited and I only noticed three minor mistakes. I’ve opened up ebooks to find typos on the first page and I won’t read any further, but this one is an easy read and very entertaining. The next one is on my wishlist 🙂

Received book in exchange for a review

Damian’s Oracle (War of Gods) on Amazon

For more about Lizzie Ford click here

{ 0 comments }

Hey world!

by SofiaWren on January 31, 2012

To start off- I’m a writer. I’ll soon be filling this blog with excerpts, links, rants about the writing life, but to start off I’ll be posting the reviews I write for the books I read. As member of the Women’s Literary Cafe Review Team, that will probably be quite a few this year. Thanks for dropping by!

{ 0 comments }