The cover art initially caught my eye, and I was engrossed by the story. Even though it had a slow start, it was well paced, and I adored the small comics that appeared before every chapter.

The writing style was well done and has a nice flow. Anton Hur did an amazing job with the translation, but I think they could have added a glossary for any romanized words. I was fine because I know basic korean honorifics and I knew that "unnie" meant older sister, but I can see someone who isn't familiar with korean getting confused. It only happens in a single scene, so it's big of an issue.

The plot follows an unnamed main character who struggles to find her footing and learns to find meaning in life. Watching the main character grow into herself was a pleasure, and I liked reading about how magical girls come into existence - the way that the world focuses on balance, and that it lends powers to women in difficult situations when they need it most. Park Seolyeon kept me on my toes by subverting expectations over and over. It's a short book, but I couldn't help but be surprised at every turn.

I didn't expect this book to be sad, but it is dark, feminist, and hopeful. It begins with a suicide attempt, and there are implications of domestic violence or sexual assault throughout the book. I was pleasantly surprised to see the author include trans women under the umbrella of magical girls. I've read a handful of books who didn't consider the existance of trans people. We never meet a trans magical girl, but I liked seeing them find their way into this world.

TW: Suicide attempt, Sexual Assult (mentioned), Domestic Violence (mentioned)

I tried multiple times to get into this book as the synopsis interested me greatly as a lover of manga and anime and I just couldn't do it. I don't know if it was the translation or the author's original book but nothing holds my attention and I can't get past the first couple of chapters no matter how hard I try.

Wow! This was absolutely fantastic! Magical Girl Retires is a cross between Manga, Anime and the Millennial experience wrapped up in a light novel. Mixing real life with fantasy, this unique read takes on the emotional toll of climate change, credit card debt and job insecurity in a post pandemic world while sprinkling in magic, hope and a touch of chaos.

✨ Magic
🖼️ Beautiful Artwork
🌡️ Climate Change
💳 Financial Woes
💼 Job Insecurity
😷 Pandemic
📚 Translated Fiction
💥 Chaos
🫶 Hope

Magical Girl Retires was such a wonderful read, paying homage to the Magical Girl genre of the past while tackling current events. 10/10 recommend!

*Please check TW before reading.

Thank you so much HarperVia for the gifted copy!

As a lover of magical girls, how could I possibly say no to this?

A late twenties millennial woman is going through a rough time after covid and starts to not see a light at the end of the tunnel anymore. However, she is turned into a magical girl with amazing powers! However, how can she use this magic on the very real-world problems on Earth?

This was delightful! I am so happy I got a chance to read this not only from Netgalley but because this book was translated and I feel like that's magical in itself seeing how hard it is to get many books translated to English. There are some! I know!!! But, this one is particularly special to me.

Out April 30, 2024!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!!

A Magical Girl Retires is about a 29-year old woman who is contemplating suicide because she is drowning in credit card debt, but is given another option by a magical girl, and that option is to become a magical girl herself! The readers are then taken along for her journey of trying to unlock her magic and become the greatest magical girl ever, while trying to protect the world from the nearing apocalypse. The imposing apocalypse is brought to you by…CLIMATE CHANGE!
This story is a bit of a sad one. The beginning starts with our heroine contemplating suicide while waiting on the side of a bridge, to finding out the world’s greatest enemy is climate change, along with the knowledge that magical girls awaken to their powers after or during a traumatic event. The world tries to find balance by only having girls or women even later in life awaken to magic because this world has such a huge difference in power balance between men and women, and while the book is not largely about this, it is still very important to realize and call attention to it. It is also important to call attention to the fact that even someone who feels like the lowest of the low can have a huge, positive impact on the world as long as we have enough hope and determination to make our wish come true. I enjoyed this book, the artwork in it, and it was a very quick read. This book also had some humor in it to balance with all of the sadness or darkness our heroine feels, as well as the start of a budding lesbian romance. Overall, if you are looking for a quick read to come back to the Magical Girl genre, or to start your journey into the genre, this is a great book to get you started!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6400159313
https://www.instagram.com/p/C5mvON3LtEA/

CWs suicide, sexual assault (mention)

Magical girl stories have a very unique weight to them - because the happy sparkly magic always comes at a much deeper and darker cost. I think that’s what really draws me to these stories, even as the characters are young and naive being confronted with life’s greatest horrors.

What A Magical Girl Retires does so well is take that same weight and remove some of the glitter. Our main character is a suicidal 29 year old, not a middle schooler brimming with hope, and when she gets a taste of the hope most magical girls take for granted, it changes her whole world. Plus we get the balance of Roa, who is bubbly and confident and the quintessentially magical girl (even as an adult) who’s then given a hard dose of reality that rattles her resolve. But what it also does is show us an enemy that’s harder to fight than a typical monster: climate change.

Even though it’s short (at only 176 pages!) it doesn’t feel incomplete or rushed. And it’s definitely worth reading the note from the translator at the end.

I had never before in my life encountered a book that is the perfect length of pages for the story that lies within it, until now.
The story begins with the main character attempting suicide and being saved by a magical girl who promises a bright future as a magical girl herself, who could refuse?
From there we are met with wonderful depictions of girlhood, from the wonderfulness of it to also the hardships. We encounter an antagonist who is shown humanity and we see all the reasons she went down the path of destruction and we can’t really blame her.
I absolutely love when stories that look fun and rose tinted offer us insights on the less desirable parts of life, and this book delivered that but still managed to make me giggle and wish I was a magical girl.
Also the art is absolutely gorgeous, it is the best art I’ve ever seen in a book. Everything about this was such a fast and joyful read.

I really enjoyed this book! I think it is excellent for anyone who thinks that they've aged out of being A Magical Girl. It asks us to think about our responsibilities to not only others and the environment, but also ourselves.

I'm really glad I read this short book. Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and the author for the ARC I read.

This book is both heavy and light. The heaviness comes from the topics and themes explored, but this is balanced with the lightness of magic, justice, and humor. The story starts off with a planned suicide attempt. This is how we meet our main character. It was actually pretty hard for me to read the first chapter because I resonated with a lot of our main character's thoughts and struggles. But with the book being so short, it does quickly become more hopeful and easier to read. I liked how our main character's issues weren't suddenly solved by becoming a magical girl, like I had thought they might be. Ultimately, the path she takes leads her to a better future, but that's from her learning and growing, not because she suddenly becomes some amazing magical girl. The ending also feels very realistic, but hopeful. So if you are struggling with similar issues as the main character, I think you can also gain hope from reading this.

I also loved the artwork at the start of each chapter. This book would make for a wonderful manhwa adaptation, so I hope that happens at some point in the future. I also really appreciated reading the translator's and illustrator's notes at the end. The translator especially helps really summarize the meaning behind this story. It was a great edition to have in the book.

I already have my copy of the book pre-ordered so I'm excited to revisit the story with a physical copy soon.

Check your TW if you need them.
This is a beautiful written story about girls whom become magic girls. They come into a their powers something happening in their life good or bad. It'd a story about Global Warming the effects it has on out plant world wide. The magic girl of time is supposed to be the most powerful of all the magical girls. Perhaps she will help save the earth or destroy it?
I had a fun time reading this story it felt too fast but it was just perfect for what it was. The art in the beginning of each chapter added to the fun and magical to the story. I definitely want to own the finished copy.
YES I definitely recommend this book to everyone.

I really enjoyed reading this short and sweet story! A 29-year-old woman contemplating suicide in South Korea suddenly becomes a magical girl?! If that wasn't enough to grasp my attention, there are a couple of cute illustrations scattered about and interesting yet realistic characters and situations. Shoutout to Anton Hurr for translating this! I wanted the story to be a bit longer, but that's just how interested I was in it! If you've got a spare hour, definitely give this a try!

Thank you, Netgalley and HarperVia, for an ARC of this book!

A lightly magical novella that reflects on the darker implications of magical girls in our modern society.

Since the girls awaken their powers through traumatic and stressful events (mentions of attempted suicide and domestic violence), the magic they receive is like the universe trying to balance power.

But how can you expect a girl to always be perfectly good and noble under these circumstances?

I loved the art at the start of each chapter and the growth the main girl experiences; however, each chapter felt a little bit disconnected from the next, making the narrative a little choppy. And I can totally imagine this as a series of 4-panel comics.

See below for Content Warnings.


This books was SO much fun!! Park puts her own spin on the classic magical girl genre (think <i>Sailor Moon</i>) in a way that is engaging and relevant to a generation of people who grew up with this genre as kids and now can return with a different perspective as adults. Our narrator faces many of the issues Millennials live with (debt, under-employment, lack of fulfillment), and despite never knowing her name, the reader follows her with empathy and interest. I also really loved the comic panels in each chapter, which effectively connected the work back to the genre's original medium.

I loved this book so much and read it in almost one sitting. I can't wait to pre-order a copy for myself and for my library. I've already recommended it to several friends!


CW for suicide attempt

Not a masterpiece by any means. I still really enjoyed it though. Like what do you mean a magical girl union?? Really fun and cute.

After losing her job and going into some extreme credit card debt, an unnamed woman decides to end her own life. Before she can do it, a woman jumps out of a taxi telling her that she's a magical girl--not just any magical girl, but one who is crucial to stopping global warming from ruining the earth. What starts as a 'sad millennial finding out that she's important' story soon turns into something stranger, sadder, but no less life affirming.

I can't say too much about 'A Magical Girl Retires' without spoiling it, since it's less than ninety pages long. I was surprised to learn that millennial ennui isn't just an American thing, which is... weirdly assuring? I also lost my job during the pandemic and spiraled into a pretty deep depression, and I think this book would have helped me during my lowest point. Ah Roa, the magical girl that our nameless protagonist is recruited by, is a delightful character who gives her motivation just by being a good friend. Sometimes that's all you need!

Anton Hur deserves credit for a great translation! Sometimes I feel that novels translated from Japanese, Korean, or Chinese are a bit 'lifeless' in their translations, but nothing feels off or lost here.

Overall, I think 'A Magical Girl Retires' is a great, short read that I'll definitely recommend to people.

A Magical Girl Retires is a cute, quirky read about a young woman in Korea who discovers she is a Magical Girl - though she doesn’t know what her powers are yet - while the magical girl society is racing to stop the end of the world due to climate change. This is a fantastical, sort of millennial fairy tale, though the light tone belies darker elements. While I enjoyed this, I think it would have benefitted from expanding into a longer format with more room to develop the plot and characters, or even as a graphic novel. I loved the illustrations at the beginning of each chapter, and the art combined with the writing style made me picture it as a graphic novel throughout. Regardless, I enjoyed this urban fantasy and its world building and appreciate how it brought in climate change and life as a woman in Korea.

I got an eARC which didn’t affect my review! This was really cute and satisfying! I also liked the art at the beginning of each chapter a lot! So happy I got to read this early.

I think this book was good. The cast of characters was interesting and all so different from one another. I love the setting and environment this book created it really helped to create well rounded and dynamic characters.

This was cute and quick but I think would have worked better in graphic novel form. i feel as though there’s not enough substance for a novella.


thanks to netgalley and harpervia for the arc!!

I loved this novella! Being someone who grew up with magical girls this book called to me. We all wanted to be one and the FMC gets to do so at a similar age to me now.

The start was heavy but as the story unfolded she’s find her place and is able to overcome obstacles. The illustrations were amazing too!

Highly recommend if you’re wanting a quick read and still want to be a magical girl at any age.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.