Movie Review: Sound of Freedom (In Theaters Now)

 About the Movie:

SOUND OF FREEDOM, based on the incredible true story, shines a light on even the darkest of places. After rescuing a young boy from ruthless child traffickers, a federal agent learns the boy’s sister is still captive and decides to embark on a dangerous mission to save her. With time running out, he quits his job and journeys deep into the Colombian jungle, putting his life on the line to free her from a fate worse than death.

Buy tickets today to see SOUND OF FREEDOM in theaters starting July 4th!

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Watch the Trailer:

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My Thoughts:

With action, suspense, and heart, SOUND OF FREEDOM recounts the true story of a child rescue mission led by Timothy Ballard, a Homeland Security Agent normally responsible for catching pedophiles. Essentially, the movie addresses the horrific reality of child trafficking with the intention of raising awareness, giving a voice to victims, and pushing back against evil.

SOUND OF FREEDOM earns a rightful PG-13 rating and may be triggering to those with a history of sexual assault. The viewer knows the sad happenings that occur without viewing explicit content. Sexual obscenity stays off the screen, but the movie isn’t over sanitized. The characters’ emotional pain potently reflects the physical and mental agony they endure. Mild profanity, in both Spanish and English, occurs.

SOUND OF FREEDOM features a racially diverse cast, and every actor/actress nailed their roles. I did notice that Tim’s hair/beard color changed/darkened at certain points and found that a bit distracting. I loved that a substantial portion of the dialogue was in Spanish (staying true to the location/situation) with subtitles.

Although SOUND OF FREEDOM comes from Angel Studios (known for THE CHOSEN), it is not a typical faith-based movie. God is mentioned a handful of times, but there’s no attempt at religious evangelization as the story’s focus stays on the victims/survivors. The low level of spirituality is unlikely to irritate most viewers and invites everyone, regardless of faith status, to experience this powerful movie.

In conclusion, SOUND OF FREEDOM tackles the heartbreaking reality of child trafficking with a powerful story and artful discretion. This movie has hovered in my mind since the first time I viewed it, and it continues to sit with me. I’ll never regard the word “chicken” in the same way. The movie possesses a strong call-to-action but shies away from specific direction of how to help survivors, leaving viewers with the responsibility of research and decision. I wish the movie had depicted follow-up care of the survivors as the rescue of a trafficked person is only the first step of a hard journey to healing and health. Still, SOUND OF FREEDOM is a good start for bringing attention to the dark business of human trafficking. Five stars for this movie.

 

Many thanks to Angel Studios for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.

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More about SOUND OF FREEDOM:

• Sound of Freedom is a powerful new film from Angel Studios (The Chosen, His Only Son) based on an incredible true story!

• Angel Studio’s goal for Sound of Freedom is for two million people to go see the film in theaters the week of July 4 to remember the two million children who are trafficked every year. #2MillionFor2Million

• Purchase Tickets at: https://www.angel.com/tickets/sound-of-freedom

• If the price of the ticket is keeping you from going, generous fans have Paid it For ward tens of thousands of free tickets for you to be able to see the film opening week. You can get a free ticket at angel.com/freetickets 

• Pay It Forward Tickets at: https://www.angel.com/pay-it-forward/sound-of-freedom

• Together we can propel a movement that will save millions of kids around the world.

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Giveaway:

One reader of this post will receive two free tickets to see SOUND OF FREEDOM. US only. Giveaway ends 07/07/2023 at 11:59 P. M. EST.

Enter by leaving a comment on this post that includes your full name and email address.

Book Review: Willow by Ronie Kendig

About the Book:

To save her, he must become the evil he fights.

Aftercare specialist Willow Metcalfe joined Mission: Liberate Everyone to help trafficking survivors navigate the healing process. When MiLE’s Obioma Compound is attacked by the Nigerian mafia, she’s taken hostage. Against nightmarish odds, she and the victims attempt an escape—and are thwarted.

A decade after leaving his beloved homeland, Chijioke “Chiji” Okorie returns to find his sister and fight for his own country. Believing a global trafficking ring behind her abduction and a string of kidnappings across Nigeria, he goes undercover to find the head of the serpent and his sister. Chiji is stunned to discover among the hostages a familiar face—a friend’s sister, Willow. The woman he vowed years ago to marry.

The man who has interfered with her escape attempts seems … familiar, kind—but Willow knows better. He reeks of the warrior ethos that has devoured many a good man. Engaged in an impossible battle and losing at every turn, Chiji is determined to complete his missions—all of them. Even if it kills him.

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My Thoughts:

I read Willow by Ronie Kendig in a Sunday afternoon sitting. With a shorter page length and an action-packed plot, it’s a quick read. I loved the Metcalfe sibling dynamics and how fiercely loyal they were to each other despite tensions in their relationships. Now that I’ve been introduced to the wild Range Metcalfe, I’m looking forward to his story (coming later in 2022).

Willow brings awareness to human trafficking, a heinous reality for so many. Reading about violence and sexual assault is hard, but the story avoids graphic detail when possible. The novel does not dig deeply into the traumas of sexual assault or the extended healing process of survivors, which makes the novel lighter to read. Romance while surrounded by the terrors of sex trafficking may seem implausible, but Ronie Kendig deftly integrates Willow and Chiji’s budding relationship. 

Willow by Ronie Kendig lands as the second novel in The Metcalfes series.  I recommend reading them in order due to the overarching human trafficking plot as well as the cameos by characters from prior novels. Four Stars!

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

Book Review: Stone by Ronie Kendig

About the Book:

She cost him everything. Now, he’s forced to protect her.

Stone Metcalfe embodies the Metcalfe legacy—blue eyes, an unfair amount of good looks, and hardcore patriot-laced character. But a foolish lapse in judgment dismantles his name and career. Humiliated and furious, he retreats to his mountain lodge to hide from media hounds and eke out a new life. However, one phone call from an old Army buddy upends Stone’s best-laid plans.

Supermodel Brighton Buchanan had designers and men eating out of her hand until a terrible mistake trapped her in the soul-eating world of human trafficking. Years later, she is used by her captors to take down the best man she’s ever known. The man she loves. Hope lost, she’s unexpectedly freed—and thrown back into Stone’s life. Being forgiven is out of the question considering how much he hates her.

Believing danger and her are one wrong move away, Brighton will do anything to keep him from being ruined again—even if it means going back to that life. As everything is falling apart and threats mount against Brighton, Stone realizes forgiveness is the easy part. Protecting her—and his heart—is another story.

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My Thoughts:

Stone by Ronie Kendig swept me away in a flow of danger, action, and second-chance romance. Both main characters, Stone and Brighton, hold hurt and regret over their shared past. Their emotions and actions/reactions felt real at their unexpected reunion. Temporarily forced together, Stone and Brighton must survive the drama their proximity rouses as they face their past and present circumstances. Character development makes way for the rekindling of love, but danger still pursues Brighton. The romantic tension paired well with the suspense. In short, Stone kept me flipping the pages as I experienced the story.

In Stone’s introductory note, Ronie Kendig conveys her hope that this novel will shed light on the darkness of human trafficking. Within the story, potential triggers exist for those who have experienced sexual assault. The author condemns the terribleness of sex trafficking without dragging the reader too deeply down into the evil. She treads lightly with Brighton’s trauma, acknowledging the challenges of recovery without delving into an extensive healing process.

Stone by Ronie Kendig kickstarts The Metcalfes series, although characters from her other novels appear or are referenced. Stone stands alone in the sense that Stone and Brighton’s story wraps up; however, an overarching plot leads into the next installment (Willow - coming Spring 2022). Readers who enjoy romantic suspense will likely be interested in this series. I am looking forward to the next story.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

The Deliverer by Kathi Macias

Though physically free of her prior life as a sex slave, Mara still struggles to leave behind the mental and emotional bondage of the past. Jonathan, the young man who rescued her from human trafficking, has spoken and written to her of a loving God who can free her of all the evil of the past. Mara desires this ultimate freedom, but doesn't believe it could truly happen for her. Mara's search for freedom will lead her through an examination of her feelings towards the family who sold her into slavery, her uncle who oversaw the entire operation, and the God who allowed it all to happen. Will Mara be able to move beyond her past? And if she could, would her growing affection for Jonathan blossom? Before anything else, she must learn to trust the One who knows her intimately and longs to bring healing and freedom.

The Deliverer by Kathi Macias is the third book in the Freedom Series. I highly recommend reading these books in order although some back story is given. I had expected this to be the final book in the series. However, there may be another book forthcoming as certain situations with some characters were left open at the end. The plot of this story is far more complex than a small synopsis can provide and that is one of the beauties of Macias' writing. Like the prior two books in the series, I was challenged by the topics presented in the book, but still enjoyed reading the characters' stories, particularly Mara's. It is far too easy to ignore or forget that human trafficking does exist and this series is a wake-up call for Christians to arise and fight the evil that is far closer to home than most of us realize. I recommend this book to any mature reader because it does deal with dark, though not overly explicit, topics.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Special Delivery by Kathi Macias

Two years ago Jonathan Flannery stumbled onto a human trafficking operation and rescued the beautiful, abused Mara. Mara's testimony against her uncle, the leader of the operation, put him in prison and gave her freedom from sexual slavery. When Jonathan returns from Bible college for the summer and their paths cross, Mara finds herself longing for him, though she swore off all men long ago. Intentionally discounting her sudden affection for Jonathan, Mara focuses on her waitressing job until a man and young girl appear one day. Mara is certain that they are involved in human trafficking but feels lost as to what to do. More than anything, she wants to stay far away from her past. Adding to her distress, Mara suspects she is being followed by someone hired to exact her uncle's revenge.

Special Delivery by Kathi Macias is the second book in the Freedom Series. I highly recommend reading Deliver Me From Evil, the first book, prior to reading Special Delivery. The story could stand alone, but reading the books in order makes for a more meaningful reading experience. A well-written story with heart-gripping characters, Special Delivery catches and retains the reader's attention from the very beginning. Macias handles the subject of human trafficking by providing a hefty dose of reality coupled with gentleness towards its victims.

I highly recommend this series to any adult, as it is probably not appropriate for younger readers. It is Christian fiction. However, I think everyone should be aware that such atrocities do happen in America and ignoring reality only leads to more victims.

Click here to read the first two chapters of Special Delivery by Kathi Macias.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author via Pump Up Your Book. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Deliver Me From Evil by Kathi Macias

Though Jonathan and Mara live and work in San Diego, California, their worlds are far apart. As a high school senior in a idyllic middle class family, Jonathan's biggest concern is accepting that baseball won't be his career and that Bible college is the next step in the path of life. Mara's world is filled with physical torture, sexual slavery, and the ever-present threat of death. One night, as Jonathan delivers a pizza to a shady hotel, their worlds intersect in way that changes both of them. Jonathan can't forget the half-naked girls and Mara can't forget the kindness in the mysterious young man's eyes. Torn by a desire to help the girls and a desire to forget the incident, Jonathan engages in a struggle that will eventually draw him to the God he professes to serve. Through circumstances, Jonathan and his family become involved in supporting a local abolitionist movement again sexual slavery. However, drawn by a desire deeper than his own, Jonathan returns to the motel time and again. When the stakes become intensely personal, Jonathan must make a life or death choice to trust the plans of the God who loves not only him, but also every person trapped in sexual slavery.

Due to the difficult issues and gritty content in Deliver Me From Evil by Kathi Macias, the story is not an easy read and I would not recommend it to young readers. That being said, I do recommend it to mature readers. There is nothing overly explicit in the novel, but given that it is about sexual slavery, it does have some descriptive content. Macias' balances the darkness of the topic with light from those who seek its end, preventing the novel from depressing the reader. The characters are believable and well-developed. On a personal note, I cried several times while reading this novel because the characters and their situations gripped my heart.

Deliver Me From Evil addresses how quickly we are to dismiss the idea of sexual slavery in America and then issues a call to the reader to stand against this horrendous evil. The novel's message that sexual slavery does exist and that it's victims are in need of deliverance and healing needs to be heard by all in America. I await the next installment in the series.

Click here to listen to a podcast in which Kathi Macias discusses Deliver Me From Evil and the research that led to its production.

Read the prologue of Deliver Me From Evil at the home page of the blog tour.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free via PumpUpYourBook. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."