Moonshine Girls 2 - Flower-of-May

BLK's Review [CLOSED]

the

blk Shop

review

Home

GETTING STARTED

Archieve

OUR PREVIOUS WORK

Staff

ABOUT OUR STAF

Rubric

MORE ABOUT HOW WE GRADE

  

Story Details

 

Author: Flower-of-May
Reviewed By: KaihleeLo

Requested Date: 3/11/17

Review Completion: 1/12/18
Story Link: Link
Reminder: 

- Feel free to message me personally for any questions or clarification 

- Don't forget to credit us with our banner/logo 

- Thank you for choosing BLK Review Shop, hope to see you again!

Bonus: (Your questions and focuses for us here)

Character Development?: Under "Character Development/Showcasing"

Grammar?: Under "Proper Use of the English Language"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review

 

Title: 10/10

Logical: 3/3

Logically I don't think 'moonshine' itself was incorporated into the story in any way. But due to the story's genre, it fits. It gives us that series kind of feel like Glee, Mean Girls, etc. 
Eye-catching: 3/3
If I was scanning through a bookshelf, I might pick Moonshine Girls from off the fluffy and comedy category. 
Original: 4/4
I will say it's pretty original for a story, it wouldn't, however, be for an applyfic for example. 

Description/Foreword: 9.5/10

Summary: 4.5/5

Though I came from a place where I must dive into book/season two without having much knowledge of book/season one, I can say the summary did excite me. It was vague and direct, yet, written with spunk. I did, however, had to 'correct' and suggest changes that could be made to make it even richer than it already is. 

 

Original: "Wherein Jinri is trying to regain the love she lost, Jiyeon is on search for the handsome father, Jiyoung can't help but to feel wary all the time, Soojung is trying to mend all her disappointments and regrets, and Sueji is getting her turn on parenting."

Suggestion One 
(Grammar & Sentence Structure): "Wherein Jinri is trying to regain the love she lost, Jiyeon is on [a/the] search for the [her] handsome father, Jiyoung can't help but to feel wary all the time, Soojung is trying to mend all her disappointments and regrets, and Sueji is getting her turn on parenting."

 

Suggestion Two (Wording and Structure): "Wherein Jinri tries to regain lost love, Jiyeon searches for her handsome father, Jiyoung being helplessly wary all the time, Soojung attempts to mend all her disappointments and regrets, while Sueji gets her turn on parenting."

 

Suggestion Three (Sentences over sentence): "Wherein Jinri is trying to regain the love she lostJiyeon is [goes] on [a/the] search for the [her] 

handsome father. Jiyoung can't help but to feel wary all the time. Soojung is trying to mend all her disappointments and regrets, and Sueji is getting her turn on parenting."

 

Suggestion Four (Drama effect):

"Wherein:

Jinri is trying to regain the love she lost.

Jiyeon is [goes] on [a/the] search for the [her] handsome father.

Jiyoung can't help but to feel wary all the time.

Soojung is trying to mend all her disappointments and regrets, and Sueji is getting her turn on parenting."

 

Sidenote: Honestly, 'handsome' really isn't needed before 'father', but that's up to you to decide.

 
Appearance: 5/5
The appearance was consistent. Although the font on each character poster differs from that of the description and foreword, you still kept it together. The colors you used for the title font was also visually pleasing.  


Character Development/Showcasing: 8/10

Relation/Cast: 4/5
For your story I expected many and I mean MANY characters, but there were a lot more than I was ready for. Every face in the story (well most if not 99%) are either idols or actors. (Nothing wrong with that. If anything I recommend you tagging every group/actor you used to gain more readers.) As I was reading through, I wondered how were you going to manage all characters.  Honestly, I wasn't disappointed neither was I impressed.

 

I loved that each character had something going for them, whether they were dealing with things from the past, present, or getting ready for the future. They all had personality. And that was key for you having an overall good cast. The issue is (and perhaps because this is Book 2) we're not really given insights on their physical appearances and personal tastes. Yes, Soojung is a red-head. Jiyeon wore multiple (fashionable) outfits during her trip, but what about the parents? As far as I caught on, you chose quite a young cast to play the parents so I'm not sure if I was supposed to imagine a 30-year-old Ilwoo raising a 19-year-old Soojung or say a wrinkled 45 Ilwoo playing as Soojung's dad. 

 

You linked some pictures of the outfits and I know it's optional to click on them, but it distracts the flow. It's better for you to just describe them. Otherwise, leave it up to our imagination. 

 

Aside from simple, little details, I do love the relations between each character. They were all connected in a way, so it was fun and cool to see how their relationship panned out in the end.  

 

Development: 4/5

Since you asked for more focus on the characters' development, I'll talk about the main five ladies and the one man I think turned over a new leaf. 

 

Choi Jinri: Jinri, daughter of Siwon and Miyoung and sister to Minho. Out of all the girls, I liked her more in the beginning. She was more mature, composed, and very supportive of her boyfriend's (Taemin) career. Her past sort of molded her present character, so I liked that as well. Then because of Taemin's work, Jinri got more involved with Jongin (Taemin's brother) and so hers and Taemin's relationship sort of hit rock bottom. Once they bounced back from it, I guess Jinri sort of developed but not entirely. She still has a lot of growing up to do. 

 

Park Jiyeon: Biological daughter of Jihoon and Taehee, fostered daughter of Haejin and Yoonyoung. Out of the five, Jiyeon often masked her concerns and insecurities with cheerfulness. If I have to describe her character in one word, I'd say she's loyal. Jiyeon is also a good friend, in my opinion, however, her personality doesn't really suit the girl that had Jiyoung accompanied her to a party at the age of 14? Where Jiyoung was violated. I'm not sure if it was because of the party and what happened to Jiyoung, that made Jiyeon careful or if the incident affected her in any way. I don't think so since she was willing to go on a two months trip with her older boyfriend of three months? It wasn't clear. Anyway, throughout the story, Jiyeon's goal was to meet and find her biological father. Finally, when she met him, he gave her reasons as to why he sort of left her and her mother. After meeting him, she didn't really show any signs of further development? Then again, it didn't seem like she was devastated by his absence. 

 

Kang Jiyoung: The wary one. Except it didn't seem like it. Jiyoung was cautious when Taeyeon was around, but after she stopped coming around, Jiyoung seemed...normal? Jiyoung doesn't give off the same characteristics as someone who has been violated at the age of 14. I thought she would be more timid and careful, but she's rather loud and free..? Not that there is anything wrong with that and that people who have been assaulted should be or act a certain way. I may have missed something else, but her character feels wild to me. I can't pinpoint her personality nor could I see things at her level. I do appreciate her pointing out the fact that Myungsoo is the father to Sueji's twins so that the lass has to make amends somehow. 

 

Jung Soojung: I can't tell you how well Soojung was written. Yes, she made my blood boiled. Yes, she's my least favorite character, but you managed to keep her consistent as someone who's indecisive, inconsiderate, and needy all at the same time. Everyone is hypocritical to a certain point, but Soojung was a big-time hypocrite. I just wished someone had told her to break up with Jongin if she's going to keep thinking of Sehun. Soojung kept playing both sides and she didn't seem to have an idea of what true love, or love in general, was. Attachment and attraction are two different things but she was mixing the two. I had a feeling Soojung was afraid of being alone so she made sure to have back up. But her neediness and greed also kept her from letting either one of the men go. It was frustrating to watch and read about her character, but in the end, she did only choose Sehun so I suppose she grew up a little. 

 

Bae Sueji: You had me fooled. When I first read that Myungsoo and Sueji thought about abortion, I was so angry at them. Yes, they were young and afraid at the time, but abortion. The way Myungsoo mentioned it was slightly sickening. But in the end, they became my favorite couple. (Though I'm surprised to discover they weren't married yet?) Sueji gave off a  motherly aura among her group of friends, which made sense but wasn't she wondering around too much for someone in her second trimester..? Even if her friends wanted to go to the beach or out somewhere, they shouldn't drag her along in case something happens. Either way, Sueji did the most developing. Though she doubted Myungsoo's faith and felt betrayed as he kept breaking promises after another, she thought she had to give him some space. It was also nice to see how they could trust each other, even when Hyuna was staying with them for a while. 

 

Myungsoo: Of all the men in the story, Myungsoo really stepped up his game, the moment he became a dad. He did scare me a little when he said he was tired of the things Sueji often ask of him due to her pregnancy. But he came around, did a 180, and proved everyone wrong.  

 
Behind the Author's Mind: 38.5/40

Logical: 10/10

I can say the events and emotions the characters went through, whether it was reacting and whatnot made sense. 
Original: 10/10
Aside from your story, I've yet to read anything similar to it. 
Tone: 5/5
The tone of each scene was nicely set. 

Narration: 4.5/5

The narration is told from a third POV as it follows the lives of multiple characters. However, at times I feel it's also first POV depending on whose story was being told. Particularly the beef scenes with Jiyoung and Taeyeon. 
Storyline: 9/10
As previously mentioned, the story followed five different characters. Sometimes we get the side characters POV as well, but mainly the five ladies. I love how despite their different lives and the problems they were each having, at times they all came together for major causes. For example, when Sueji fainted and was taken to the hospital for her surgery, the girls' get-together before they take off to their own universities, Jongin's motorcycle accident, and finally the wedding. 


Proper Use of the English Language: 20/25

Proper Grammar/Punctuation: 8/10

There were a lot of grammar/punctuation errors. They weren't extreme issues that made reading difficult but they were distracting. I'd say proofread and perhaps get yourself a beta reader to help you with grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and so on. 


Terminology: 3/5
Since the select text option wasn't made available, I decided not to provide any specific examples. However, down below are some of the repeating errors I wanted to point out. 

 

I noticed you tend to misuse 'in', 'at', 'on', 'off', and 'out' a lot. I say do some research and learn how they are properly used. 

 

Also, 'you're' is short for 'you are' so when you write "what you're doing?" you're basically saying "what you are doing?" What you meant to write is "what are you doing?" Here's a tip: Don't write it as "what're you doing?" either. It just looks funky. 


Language Barrier: 9/10

I can't recall where exactly but it was earlier on in the chapters where you used -ah after someone's name. I'll just say since you have been writing with English expressions and words, leave out any Koreans expression. Otherwise, someone who isn't familiar with Korean formality will find it odd. 

 

General Enjoyment/Last Comment: 5/5
First and foremost, I'm terribly sorry for the long awaited review! I can't believe I managed to put this off for nearly a year (knowing how personally impatient I can get when waiting for my request). All in all, I enjoyed your story a lot. It even inspired me to start something similar to it but knowing me, I at following through so we'll see. Let me know if some of my points made no sense to you at all, I'm more than happy to further explain or correct what I've written. Once again, thank you for your patience! I am curious though, why did you want a review on the second rather than book one? 

 

Total Points: 86/100

Everything on this thread unless otherwise stated was created by in:exordium's staff.
This theme is by Nefelibata Themes and can be used as base and can be tweaked to your heart's content!

Like this story? Give it an Upvote!
Thank you!
KaihleeLo
[BLK Shop] Calling bbe1989~

Comments

You must be logged in to comment
bbe1989
#1
Chapter 290: Thank you so much for the very comprehensive review!!!
Once again you've picked up my struggle with writing dialogue... I'm still trying to work on it and will definitely keep all your well thought out advice in mind when I write stories in the future TT.
You're totally fair about the vague timeline and the wordiness, I'll also work on that in the future!!
And yes!!! Thank you for picking up on all my references!!!
I've linked and credited you on the fic and once again thank you so much for writing such an awesome objective review. Really highlights some things I can work harder on and I love it :)
fefedove
#2
Chapter 289: ok, i'm finally picking the review up hehe~
wow, you said you kept this short but this is one of the more detailed reviews i've received lol. thank you so much kaihlee! to be honest, i'm really surprised that you read all of it and even upvoted the fic ajdhf;iwescd
the "chateau kisses" part in the title came from lyrics of exo's lotto. the mv for that also inspired this fic.
you have interesting takes on the characters too, which i love! it's always nice to see how other people view them. like how you described jongin as the "free" character, because i never thought about that, but you're definitely right. for luhan, i tried hinting at the beginning that he shouldn't be pitied or thought weak just because he looked innocent. there was much more to him ;) but the fact that he had been witnessing sehun killing in cold blood and wasn't new to this...omg i never thought of that wtf? lol (or maybe i did subconsciously)
okay anyway, thank you so much~ i'll definitely come back for constructive reviews once i actually write another fic haha. i've credited as well ^_^
fefedove
#3
Chapter 289: Thank you so much for the review! I'll write a longer comment and credit when I'm on my laptop~
stellarstarlight
#4
Chapter 246: I've always been curious about review shops. I could never do it myself. If you don't mind my asking, how did you come up with your rubric?
ramblesofthelost
#5
Chapter 286: Ahhhhhh!!!! Thank you so much for doing a review - I honestly thought it wasn't going to happen when I saw your announcement. I'll probably have to re-read x3 your review because I definitely want to make improvements on my grammar mistakes. And thanks for noting about the forward too - I'm always unsure what to put there. The characters were such a challenge and I still find it that way- but I'm happy that their development is showing. Really, I'm glad you enjoyed and story and I'd love to hear your opinion on the King in the future. Thanks for taking the time to finish this! Will credit banner on the page <3
mistressdean
#6
Chapter 286: Oh, no! I literally come back to aff just to read reviews, including yours. You will be missed!

On a side note, will you ever be opened to personal review requests in the future?
YX__94
#7
Chapter 285: Thank you for the review!

I feel like it was a little rushed and i can't explain such an high score since the critics are there but I'll credit you on the foreword ASAP! :)

I was also wondering if you consider cliché and overused just the starting plot or the whole story. I mean, I haven't seen fics with that kind of end so maybe I've missed them and I'd like to check them out.
kpopcrown
#8
Chapter 283: My finals have finally ended and summer started, and I could finally sit down and re-read the entire review and pick it up! First of all, I am glad you enjoyed reading my story. It is true there are plot holes here and there, and I can't thank you enough for listing the days. I lost count of the days myself because it's been two years I am writing this (I'm a slow-writer). Hopefully, I'll be able to edit the entire story once I finish Blood Rose. I know my grammar skills , so thank you for pointing out the flaws! I'll make sure to tend to it soon.
Lol, I actually turned 16 this April. Omg, since you and Renee are both computer science major, am I portraying her well? xD I have no clue how a computer science major actually does lol.
I have picked up my review and once again, thank you for the review! Thank you for patiently waiting for me as well! c: