A Magical Girl Retires

A Novel

By: Park Seolyeon

Narrated by: Shannon Tyo

A millennial turned magical girl must combat climate change and credit card debt in this delightful, witty, and wildly imaginative ode to magical girl manga.

Twenty-nine, depressed, and drowning in credit card debt after losing her job during the pandemic, a millennial woman decides to end her troubles by jumping off Seoul’s Mapo Bridge.

But her suicide attempt is interrupted by a girl dressed all in white—her guardian angel. Ah Roa is a clairvoyant magical girl on a mission to find the greatest magical girl of all time. And our protagonist just may be that special someone.

But the young woman’s initial excitement turns to frustration when she learns being a magical girl in real life is much different than how it’s portrayed in stories. It isn’t just destiny—it’s work. Magical girls go to job fairs, join trade unions, attend classes. And for this magical girl there are no special powers and no great perks, and despite being magical, she still battles with low self-esteem. Her magic wand . . . is a credit card—which she must use to defeat a terrifying threat that isn’t a monster or an intergalactic war. It’s global climate change. Because magical girls need to think about sustainability, too.

Park Seolyeon reimagines classic fantasy tropes in a novel that explores real-world challenges that are both deeply personal and universal: the search for meaning and the desire to do good in a world that feels like it’s ending. A fun, fast-paced, and enchanting narrative that sparkles thanks to award-nominated translator Anton Hur, A Magical Girl Retires reminds us that we are all magical girls—that fighting evil by moonlight and winning love by daylight can be anyone's game.

Translated from the Korean by Anton Hur

Fantastic!

Fantastic story of becoming the hero you need and need to be. Short, simple, and sweet.

I’m not the target audience

A pleasant, whimsical read, but it didn’t stand out to me. Solid writing, Sailor Moon vibes and predictable plot. Good for a quick, light read. This book should be perfect for children.

Boring

Very juvenile. Should be under YA. Boring characters and storyline. This was a book club read but I wouldn’t recommend.

Boring Bit of Nothing

I’m not sure if it’s poorly written or just poorly translated but the writing is extremely direct and uninspiring. There’s not a single physical description of a character and while the setting has a handful of interesting ideas, the characters are boring and poorly realized. There’s conflict comes out of nowhere and is resolved just as quickly, a must skip.