A Magical Girl Retires (Nomad Edition)

A Novel

Park Seolyeon, Anton Hur

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Paperback

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English

Harpervia
25 November 2025

“Korean author Park Seolyeon’s English-language debut succeeds in ways no other recent novel has: in portraying the anxiety-riddled realities of coming of age in our present moment through an unexpected and fantastical lens.”—The Rumpus.com

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, now available in a convenient pocket-sized portable Nomad Edition.

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

By: Park Seolyeon
Translated by: Anton Hur
Imprint: Harpervia
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 149mm, Width: 105mm,
Weight: 152g
ISBN: 9780063469242
ISBN 10: 0063469243
Pages: 192
Publication Date: 25 November 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Anton Hur was born in Stockholm, Sweden, and was subsequently raised in six different countries on four different continents, including British Hong Kong, Ethiopia, the United States, and Thailand, but spent most of his time in Korea. He has worked as an interpreter and translator for more than two decades, and in 2022, was double-longlisted and shortlisted for the International Booker Prize, the first translator of color to do so. In 2023, his translation of Bora Chung's Cursed Bunny was shortlisted for the National Book Awards. He divides his time between Seoul and the science fiction-y island of Songdo with his husband.

Reviews for A Magical Girl Retires (Nomad Edition): A Novel

""A weird, delightful little book, simultaneously grim and breezy...A very entertaining read"" -- Locus ""As a millennial and lover of all things magical girls, I adored this celebration of all things magical girl and how they might play out in the real world. The illustrations by Kim Sanho took me back to all of my favorite manga I read growing up. This one was such a fun read."" -- Book Riot ""Park pictures a world on the brink of collapse, with no one paying the price--and shows what it might take for a millennial to not only survive, but to capture her own dreams and make her life worth living."" -- Den of Geek ""Best Books of 2024""