What a book! I was originally interested in A MAGICAL GIRL RETIRES because of the gorgeous cover and the title, but I’m so glad that I stayed to read the book. The story of a depressed millennial woman who’s told she’s the magical girl who will save the world, changing her life and herself. It’s the classic fantasy of the magical girl combined with modern day problems like climate change presented in a somewhat blunt fashion that brings it all together. The story and the book itself were super readable and the time I was reading it absolutely flew by. It’s a little relatable while also expanding the idea of the magical girl, and it’s absolutely worth the read!

I think what works best about this book is the combination of the somewhat fun fantasy elements (the magical girl and her transformations and talismans), with the relatively mundane (credit card debt, jobs) and the more existential (climate change, purpose in life). The world itself is relatively fully formed while still existing as mostly left open to the elements that the reader will fill in. And even if you’re not aware of the way it interacts with Korean social culture as translator Anton Hur talks about in his note at the end, I still think the central ideas and messaging follow through.

As someone who’s never actually interacted much with the traditional idea of the magical girl in the media, this was a really fun way to look into this fantasy classic. A MAGICAL GIRL RETIRES is an easy, fun, and yet still thought-provoking read, and I would definitely recommend it!

A Magical Girl Retires is a witty, unique, and delightful story about self exploration through the eyes of a 29 year old magical girl. Who is so relatable in so many ways; credit card debt, unemployed, mental health problems, and so much more. This short story explores the narrator finding herself again through a friendship (maybe a little more than friends if you really think about it) with fellow magical girl Ah Roa. This is a perfect quick read for anyone who is currently feeling hopeless and lost and needs a little pick me up. Personally I loved the style of writing and the fast pace of the story. As well as taking fictional entities like magic and mixing it with real word situations. I want to be a magical girl so bad.
Disclaimer: Thank you to netgalley and HarperVia for this ARC

This book came to me at such an uncanny time it's almost scary because I have been going through similar things as the protagonist. Also as someone who has always love magical girls growing up, it felt like this novella was written with me in mind. I adore the premise of this book and the discussions it brought up, I honestly wouldn't have mind it if it was actually a bit longer to flesh out and develop more things out. The illustrations at the beginning of each chapters are gorgeous just as much as the cover of the book.

For the first 20% of this novel I was set to give it at least a 4 star rating, but the momentum that was built faded away quickly after that. It came out of the gate comedic and lighthearted, despite the slightly dark humor at the beginning (which I still found hilarious). There were gorgeous illustrations on the cover and throughout the novel on the chapter pages that were reminiscent of Manga or Manhwa (since this is set in Korea). Then after receiving her talisman the book falls apart to me. That’s when we feel a lot of the plot holes and the writing quality diminished greatly.

There were some humorous quotes, such as:

“What’s the best way to die that would create the least amount of annoyance for everyone else?”

“Maybe it’s the name that makes me think I’m playing Russian roulette with someone I can’t see.”

“If we were to talk about courage, I’m like… a used up tube of toothpaste.”

But the grammar and wording was tricky in some spots. There were a couple of passages I had to go back and read a couple of times to understand. Then at the middle of the book there starts to be parenthesis in every paragraph. It’s at that point that the novel seems to shift from a first person narrative to a memoir style, story telling narrative. It threw me off with the shift.

The book had a great premise but felt too short. We didn’t get any fully fleshed ideas. There wasn’t a good explanation for how the magical girls got their powers. There wasn’t a really good answer for why the Magical Girl of Time did wasn’t she did. The climate change as the end of the world concept is realistic but didn’t feel very eminent in the novel.

Since we didn’t spend very much time getting to know the characters more than just face level, they aren’t loveable and the relationships don’t feel natural. Ah Roa and the FMC would be a cute pair but it didn’t make sense how everything fell into place timeline wise. Also, the FMC feels a little dumb and 2D to me.

The climax of the novel is over in about 3 pages and feels very Deus Machina to me.


Overall, I think if this story has great potential but it was not fully realized. If it had fulfilled on the promise it had I would have probably added this book to my library. Unfortunately, the story fell flat at the end and while I liked it, I felt highly disappointed.

Thank you to Park Seolyeon, Harper Via, translator Anton Hur, and illustrator Kim Sanho for this ARC in exchange for a review.

This book takes place in Korea. The main character has some (not really a lot) of debt, and feels that her life is going nowhere. Then, she's approached by Ah Roa, a clairvoyant magical girl, and told that she is also a magical girl.

This is a pretty short, but cute, book. It has some dark themes but manages to keep the tone light. There are a lot of discussions about environmentalism and the magical girl politics.

The main character, despite her situation, was not insufferable and annoying. She had a humorous tone and was content to move the story along. I thought she had a unique and relatable backstory as well.

The main conflict was viewed in morally grey ways rather than "this person is definitively bad and deserves no sympathy." It's a good change from usual superhero stories where the main character is either super nice or horrible to the antagonists.

As a translation, I thought the language flowed quite naturally. There was literally one term that I had NO CLUE what it meant. At one point, Ah Roa says (this is a paraphrase), "do you want to crib off mine?" Crib off apparently means to steal.

Love the cover and the illustrated comic panels throughout.

Magical Girls, climate change, justice, the pressures of existing as a woman in the modern world. In 100 pages Park Seolyeon manages to hit hard with discussions on how to save our planet, if it’s even justice saving the human race, and how we are our strongest when we are at our weakest.

Our MC is 29, depressed, drowning in credit card debt, and contemplating ending it all. Her hopes and dreams seem lost, unachievable. She’s spent her life disappointing everyone, including herself. Then Roa, the Magical Girl of Clairvoyance, shows up and announces that MC is the most powerful Magical Girl - The Magical Girl of Time - and is destined to save the world.

What ensues is a heartwarming journey discovering love, hope, and wishes. For anyone who’s ever felt lost and hopeless in their 20s, this novella really hits home.

“Magical girls exist because justice does not.”

Yeah, the depressed millennial woman suffering from burnout and credit card debt suddenly finding out she's a magical girl got me, okay? A Magical Girl Retires is a short novella, but it manages to hit hard with its contemporary topics of climate change and covid intertwined with fantastical ideas such as clairvoyance and time manipulation. The beautiful cover and chapter illustrations added a romantic and nostalgic charm to the story.

I've loved the magical girl anime genre since I was a child, and this was a thoroughly enjoyable modern take. It's quick, witty, and incredibly relatable. The translator's note at the end was also a very good read, and I'm looking forward to reading more Korean literature when possible!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

First Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an Advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book was delightful, as a fellow 29 year burnout with too much debt and no real idea of where my life is going this book was a comfort. Our main character was incredibly relatable and the humor was fun. I would have liked a slightly longer story, hell I would have loved a longer story. But i think that this is a story better left leaving the reader wanting.

I wish the larger conflict was a little bit more devoped and longer as a critique.

The art is a wonderful and really captures the vibe of each chapter.

Overall i loved this book and recomemd this to every 20-30 something who wants to know did Iever stop being a girl? And is just lost in at where their life is going.

I’ve been in love with magical girl narratives for what feels like forever. It’s very rare to come across a story that goes beyond the realm of adolescence. Reading about Roa, an adult magical girl tasked with saving the world while still needing to be employed to pay her bills felt like a dream. But this story is so much more than that, exploring themes such as the trials and tribulations of both modern society and the future, the disappointment of unrealized potential, incandescent female rage and so much more. A line from the translator’s note really sums it up best. “The magic that magical girls want is not to grow into giants or connect powerful fragrances or manipulate time or be clairvoyant—it’s the power of justice. Magical girls exist because justice does not.” Here, girls almost never age out of that yearning to be more, to be magical. It never leaves us because justice almost never finds us. I loved this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for my honest review.

I grew up watching magical girl shows such as Sailor Moon so I obviously had to read this, and I wasn’t disappointed. While the book is short, the opportunities for analysis are well thought out. The concept of these magical girls and how they are created was both sad and kind of amazing since they now have magical abilities. Not to mention the illustrations were beautiful.

I highly recommend this book, and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

A short, fast-paced read, A MAGICAL GIRL RETIRES is ostensibly lighthearted yet surprisingly thoughtful with hidden depth and dark themes. The main character's plight should be relatable to countless young people with her economic woes in a seemingly hopeless world.

Park is very clever in her use of the machinations behind magical girls and their magic that subtly, succinctly reflect the harsh reality faced by girls and women, which is especially relevant for her feminist-hating and incels-coddling native South Korea. The novel's underlying dark themes are threaded with some humor and sparkles, and I like how the most alarming disaster is concluded to be climate change, not some aliens, criminals or monsters.

While the book's current short iteration works alright, I think Park could have expanded the story even more. A longer length would certainly make the characters, wolrd and themes more fully fleshed out, as well as reducing the currently almost dizzying and frenetic pace of the novel. Hur's translation, as always, is great and I also like the illustrations by Kim, though I do find it quite ironic that no woman prominently contributes to the English version.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperVia for the ARC to review!

“The reason magical girls exist is because they needed their power the most. In other words, before a magical girl awakens her powers, she’s the weakest person in the world… Because these powers are granted to the weakest people, it just looks like girls are the only ones who get to be magical.”

A Magical Girl Retires explores concepts of purpose, despair, agency, and above all— justice. It critiques those who have the power to bring positive change, only to use it for evil— and the price that everyone else must pay to right those wrongs. It empowers us all to engage our inner Magical Girl to band together to address injustice and the greatest threat to humanity— climate change.

Seamlessly floating between exceptionalism and the mundane, it perfectly captures the reality of existence. Saving the world from destruction— only to fear being late to work at the convenience store and have crippling credit card debt. Foiling a plot to bomb Heathrow airport— only to be called to attend a job fair and union duties.

Also, the translator’s note was wonderful— highly recommend reading it after finishing the book!!

“But for justice to exist, we have to imagine it first.”

really fun, very magical and captivating from start to end. this teeny novella has such fun concepts! i was SO hyped when I got this one and it did not disappoint, thanks for the arc.

I thought this was such a fun read and the artwork was gorgeous. It's so relatable as a millennial - there were parts I thought would be cheesy or too silly that ended up being the perfect amount of comedy to take some of the stress out of the situation without undermining the seriousness of the topic. It was a fairly short read but I enjoyed every second of it.

Thank you so much to HarperVia, NetGalley, Anton Hur, and Park Seolyeon for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review!

A Magical Girl Retires was an absolute delight! I read it in one sitting and had a wonderful time. This was my first time reading something by this author, and I am very impressed!

What I loved:
- Very relatable main character: we all want to be special, right? but we also just want a normal life and to be happy. I felt very seen and represented with the main character’s mental health and desires.
- Easy-to-follow plot: engaging, fun, fast-paced, some small twists here and there. Very entertaining!
- Characters: I loved all of the characters, even Mirae, and I loved that the cast was all ✨women✨

Overall I am rating this title 4.5 out of 5 stars! Rounded to 4 for Goodreads and NetGalley. This is perfect for fans of magical realism and contemporary fiction!

**This ARC was provided by NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to both companies for this opportunity.**

“I… don’t think I’m young enough to be a magical girl?”

In ‘A Magical Girl Retires’ we follow a 29 year old woman in her journey to becoming a magical girl. However, the life of a magical girl is not as glamorous as they make it out to be in the tv shows. This magical girl has to study, work and pay off her debts while also having the crisis of climate change hang on her shoulders!

I truly did not expect this to become a book I read in one sitting. Although it is not a super long book, I am just not that kind of person. I get distracted super easily, but this book captures my attention and did not let go of it.

It is a heartwarming and comedic tale which takes the magical girl trope and flips it on its head. I loved it. While this book teaches the reader that one is never too old to go after their dreams, it also teaches that perhaps out of all your dreams the one that comes first in your mind isn’t always the right option for you.

I would recommend this book to everyone who loves Sailor Moon and Madoka Magica!

As a person who loves a good anime this read like a magical girl/slice of life anime thats either 12-14 episodes long or a 90 maybe 120 minute movie. I was unsure if I would enjoy it but Park Seolyeon’s ability to discuss the real life struggles of debt, job hunting and global climate change made the characters feel more relatable and real. Its slow and mundane in spots but then it just peaks up hence my comparison to a solo season anime or movie.

I really enjoyed A Magical Girl Retires, a novella by Park Seolyeon about a young adult in Korea who is trying to figure out her next steps in life. It is amazing how much is covered in less than 90 pages, about the main character's relationship with her grandfather and love of watchmaking, about magical girls, climate change and revenge vs. justice. The book has a well respected translator, Anton Hur, which helps it flow well. I enjoyed the illustrations as well. A fun and quick but also moving read. Thanks to Netgalley and HarperVia for this eARC.

This review was made possible via an ARC through NetGalley

A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon is a novella written for older magical girl fans that explores topics of girlhood, suicidal ideation, and when are you too old to start over?

I wanted to read this the moment I saw the cover. It is not an exaggeration to say that I immediately flipped out and searched for it on NetGalley because I had to read it. I grew up on magical girl, Sailor Moon, Tokyo Mew Mew, Cardcaptor Sakura, etc. and I still love it, so a novella exploring the themes of the genre from a twenty-nine-year-old POv was absolutely up my alley. The credit card debt and card card as a magical wand and climate change are just cherries on top for me.

The Voice is perfect for the blend of nostalgic coziness and exploration of deeper, heavier, darker topics.

This novella absolutely did it for me. I loved it from the opening page all the way to the last sentence. I have wanted this novella for years and it delivered. I’ve wanted to see older magical girls and lonely twenty-five and up women finding friendship in each other and the hint of Sapphic attraction in the same book for a very long time. I’ve wanted to see magical girls dealing with current and modern issues, not only monsters.

I want more books like this. This is probably my favorite novella of all time.

I would recommend this to lovers of magical girl who are looking for something dealing with our current social issues.

A story about a 29-year-old woman who lost her job during covid and stops just short of killing herself over credit card debt when she finds out she’s a magical girl? Literally WHO could say no to a book like this. I feel like lab scientists couldn’t have cooked up a more compelling combination.

Without overselling it TOO much, this was little bit of Kaiji, a little bit of Madoka Magica, and a teeny tiny bit of Tokyo Mew Mew (it counts!). And yes, it IS gay (it counts!!!!!)! Kim Sanho’s chapter insert illustrations are SO subtly gorgeous, too, and really help set the tone of the book.

All in all, a really fun, super quick read (I think it was about two hours when I finally sat down and started). I’d especially recommend this if you’re a comics/magical girl fan who doesn’t read much fiction, as a literary gateway :0)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.