Starting our list today is a highly-anticipated dark fantasy light novel trilogy, with the first English volume to be published in July 2022.

The world of Shuuen no Hanayome (The Bride of Demise) is infested with menacing creatures called “kihei.” To confront this otherworldly threat, the Twilight Academy is formed, training students in black magic to repel the kihei — but this battle is incredibly dangerous, with many students meeting their end on the battlefield.

Protagonist Kou very nearly becomes another fatality in this long war…until a kihei pledges her loyalty to him, and sets off a chain of events that will spin the world into even more chaos and madness.

Step into the dark world of The Bride of Demise when it releases in July 2022.

Arriving thirteen years after its release in Japan comes the standalone sci-fi light novel, Murasakiiro no Qualia (Qualia the Purple).

High schooler Yukari leads a strange and lonely life thanks to her supernatural powers. Through her purple eyes, all people appear like robots, and she can evaluate their individual quirks and physical capabilities. Yukari assists the police to identify threats, but her strange powers have cost her friends and lovers, leaving her almost entirely alone at school.

Yukari’s friend Gaku cares deeply for her, but when Yukari is recruited into a secret organization, Gaku is dragged along and thrust into a realm of quantum experimentation and alternate universes. Only her wits and love for Yukari can guide her through this mind-bending mystery.

The light novel for Qualia the Purple will be available in November 2022, while the English version of the manga adaptation is scheduled to arrive in June 2023, twelve years after the Japanese release.

In a strange twist, the light novel for Housekishou Richard-Shi no Nazo Kantei (The Case Files of Jeweler Richard) comes to the West after the manga’s release earlier in the year.

This beloved shoujo series (often mistaken for a boy’s love narrative, thanks to the beautiful male leads) stars Japanese college student Seigi Nakata, and the enigmatic jeweler appraiser, Richard Ranashinha de Vulpian.

After saving Richard from drunken assailants, Seigi is hired to help Richard appraise jewelry – and the secret messages hidden in the “heart of jewels.” This series is highly praised for its gentle slice-of-life moments and the slow mystery surrounding Richard’s customers.

Step into the jeweler’s workshop when the acclaimed The Case Files of Jeweler Richard arrives in September 2022.

Consistently requested by fans online, this sweet little school rom-com finally comes Westward! After four volumes released overseas, Yen Press has picked up the fan-favorite series, Tokidoki Bosotto Roshiago de Dereru Tonari no Arya-san (Arya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian).

Most of what you need to know is right there in the title, but for the sake of completeness, this slice-of-life romance puts together the main character Masachika Kuze and the school’s beautiful ice princess, Alisa Mikhailovna Kujo (aka, Arya). While smart, Kuze is unmotivated at school, and far more interested in what Arya’s muttering in Russian under her breath.

Kuze understands Russian thanks to his grandfather, and through understanding Arya’s private thoughts, the two begin a relationship of shared language and secrets.

The first volume of Arya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian will release in October 2022.

And here’s our top pick for light novels releasing in 2022!

Despite the strange title, there’s no gory body swapping between rats and butterflies here – instead, you’ll find political intrigue amidst maidens competing for the crown in a world inspired by historical China! Welcome to Futsutsuka na Akujo de wa Gozaimasu ga - Suuguu Chouso Torikae Den (Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court)!

Five clans put forth imperial consorts to be crowned empress, with the frail and beautiful “butterfly,” Kou Reirin, seeming like a shoo-in to win the crown prince’s heart. When an ambitious assailant tries to attack Reirin, she ends up swapping bodies with the so-called “court rat” who attacked her. Now, she has a robust new body, and a second chance at life…but first, she’ll have to avoid the impending execution she’s faced with because of attacking her former body!

The light novel Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court will release in September 2022, with a manga adaptation to follow in November.