Project: Mage - The Frugal Mage

If I had to describe this novel in one word, it would be 'alright'. The overall plot of the novel is interesting. It certainly isn't new, but I'm not one to hope every novel I read is a brand new, genius idea. The grammar is off in places, but its isn't unreadable.

My main gripe would be the character interactions. It was only 4 chapters in when we ran into our first 'arrogant young master' character, and much of the 15 chapters I read was just recycling some variation of "FL is way too beautiful and amazing," "ML is useless and plain and doesn't belong with her."

The MC somehow gets a subpar score on the entrance exam (what was on the test still hasn't been explained), but has overwhelming power than expected for his age. There's a blatant disregard for any female's opinions (no matter their school rank or personal power). And bot the ML and FL are content to get walked all over so that they can 'live peacefully as a couple' while doing nothing preventative to help ensure that future. I'm sure at some point the ML is going to show off his power in a ridiculous way, and then everyone will fawn over him at that time. It's all of the usual things you would find in an average xanxia novel. I think it's done a bit excessively in this novel, hence the low rating. It becomes a bit of a slog to read through

The beginning 100 or so chapters are pretty decent  honestly and would have gotten 4 stars or so. The last 40 or so chapters have been so godawful as to drag the entire story down a full 1.5 stars. MC has added several people to his harem for literally no other reason than his 'essence' being magic essentially, seriously.

A harem story is not necessarily a huge problem but the last 50 chapters have essentially been an erotica  novel with perhaps the worst descriptions of sex I've ever come across.

First, writing quality. Its not good. Its readable, but as everything in this book it degrades as the book goes on. The grammar is all over the place.

Cant really say much about updates, since I just binged 260 chaps. But doesnt look too bad.

(this part may contain some spoiler, but I dont name anything specific.)

Story... horrible. The first part is very nice, a lot of world building and focus on magic, somtimes some romantic scenes with his wife, and at some point he gets a second girl. So yeah, its ******** harem. But later on it just turns into badly written sex every single chapter and at some points the story just straight up repeats itself. Just SAY that his "essence" can heal everything magic related. It starts as a nice magic novel with some sex and romance every now and then and after 250 chaps its a badly written ero novel that sometimes justifies why he gets a new woman. Author if you read this, a harem with more than like 5 people just loses any sort of romance and is a plain ****feast. Which is fine, but then make it sound like its a ero novel and not a fantasy one.

Character are the same as story, they are pretty nice in the beginning and get shallow in the end, World background as well, but it got built pretty nicely in the beginning.

All in all, badly written, story degrades, has some inconsistencies every now and then, but the story itself had potential. It was nice until the like 3rd wife came.

Chapter 20 Review:

So 20 chapters in and not only is the MC supposed to be frugal with his magic use but apparently the author has also decided to be frugal about focusing on this aspect as well which was the whole draw of me wanting to read this story.

Instead there's a jarringly quick love interest that gets sickeningly saccharine and stays that way so far.  And of course this is set within the overwhelmingly generic school setting with the requisite dumb antagonists who don't approve of him getting the girl.   

All of that is a major eyeroll but my real issue is with the lack of focusing on the magic system and especially on how/why the MC is a "frugal mage".  At this point, unlike the couple's supercharged interest for each other, my own interest in this story has become limp and flaccid.

If the MC doesnt get with Liu Xia imma be mad.

Novels great, just wish a harem tag was on this so I didn't have to read the story for my hopes to be destroyed.

I understand that it's more then 2 lovers for it to count as a harem, but to me, having more then 1 lover is just bad and I see it as unfaithful in a way to the first lover.

I was excited when I found this since it had early romance and no visible harem tag. I may continue to read this in the future as I do genuinely like the story but I'm also disappointed at how accepting the first girl is with letting the male lead getting another lovet even if it is someone they both know.

Very nice. Love harem stories. Too bad spirit stones cant keep with all my novels in the library. I hate restricting myself but i have to. Ill read when i can. Thanks for the novel!

I think this is being written by a horny 14 year old... Cringed so hard at the description of a vagina as a "wet cave" that i had to quit this novel!