Starting our list today is an Imperial China-inspired historical fantasy that received an anime adaptation in late 2022—Koukyuu no Karasu (Raven of the Inner Palace).

Deep within the Imperial Palace lives the Raven Consort—a mysterious woman shrouded in myth, able to exorcize spirits and find lost objects. When the new Emperor arrives at her doorstep, seeking the Raven Consort’s magical assistance, his request could unravel a secret that’s binding the palace—and the entire kingdom.

Highly loved by readers, Raven of the Inner Palace is complete with 7 novels in Japanese, and will have its first English volume release in February 2023.

A comedic fantasy with an eyebrow-raising title, Kon'yaku Hakida, Hatsujou Seijou. (The Inconvenient Life of an Arousing Princess) has definitely caught our attention.

A powerful priestess in the frontline war against monsters, Monica has incredible powers and earned her place as the crown prince’s fiancée. There’s just one problem—her abilities are incredibly arousing to those around her! When the prince finds out, he ends their engagement and destroys her reputation. Abandoned by her own people, Monica finds an unlikely ally in a neighboring country—and thus begins a sweet romance between a doting prince and a priestess with an unfortunate gift!

The Inconvenient Life of an Arousing Princess sounds hilarious and refreshing, and we’re always excited for sweet love stories! Pick up a copy when this new series releases in February 2023.

Continuing the long tradition of Japanese light novels having an entire synopsis as their title, we have Suterare Reijou wa Renkinjutsushi ni narimashita. Kaseida Okane de Moto Tekikoku no Shou wo Kounyuu shimasu (The Abandoned Heiress Gets Rich With Alchemy and Scores an Enemy General!).

Billed as a tsundere love story (and that’s already got us interested), our protagonist is Chloe, an alchemist of (self-proclaimed) rare beauty. After being stripped of her privileges following a failed engagement, she became an alchemist’s apprentice and earned enough money to open her own atelier! When she hires the cold-hearted “Black Prince,” Julius, as her personal bodyguard, Chloe finds herself in the midst of a love story between a (self-proclaimed) gorgeous alchemist and a snarky tsundere knight!

The blurb alone brings a smile to our face, so we’re definitely interested in reading The Abandoned Heiress Gets Rich With Alchemy and Scores an Enemy General! when it arrives late January 2023.

Hariko no Otome (Maiden of the Needle) is a dark isekai fantasy about an abused young girl and her magical talents with a needle.

Born into a noble artisan family with fragmented memories of her past life, Ewey Nylle spends most of her life being abused and starved by her family—punishment for lacking obvious power in enchanting fabric. Her luck begins to turn around when she’s taken in by a charming nobleman who recognizes her innate talent—and recognizes the dormant power she can wield with a needle.

Maiden of the Needle is an intriguing new setting for an isekai, with a different type of magic we’ve never seen before! Follow Ewey’s adventures when Maiden of the Needle releases in May 2023.

Our top pick of novels releasing in 2023 is actually two books that work together as a singular, mind-twisting narrative. Boku ga Aishita Subete no Kimi e (To Every You I’ve Loved Before) and Kimi o Aishita Hitori no Boku e (To Me, The One Who Loved You) are two intertwined narratives, released as separate books on the same day, with matching anime films that also released on the same day in Japan.

Start your journey with To Every You I’ve Loved Before, set in a world where people can regularly travel to a parallel universe. The awkward but studious Takasaki meets a new student, Takigawa, who claims she’s moved from the other universe—one where she and Takasaki are in love. But what if it’s Takasaki who’s from the other world instead…?

And in To Me, The One Who Loved You, follow Hidaka, a young man who’s fallen in love with Satou—only to have their romance ripped apart when their parents decide to marry each other. Now fated to be step-siblings, Hidaka and Satou must question if there’s another universe out there where they can be together as lovers and not step-siblings…but what price would they pay to find out?

Two books and one multiverse combine when To Every You I’ve Loved Before and To Me, The One Who Loved You release simultaneously in June 2023!