The Demon of Beausoleil by Mari Costa, Mariana Costa Format: ebook
Source: supplied by publisher via Edelweiss
Formats available: paperback, ebook
Genres: fantasy, graphic novel, historical fantasy
Pages: 312
Published by Oni Press on January 27, 2026
Purchasing Info: Author's Website, Publisher's Website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Bookshop.org, Better World Books
Goodreads
"A humorous yet poignant queer romance in a fantasy-period setting. Just the thing for grown-up fans of Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper, Kevin Panetta’s Bloom, or Jarrett Melendez’s Chef’s Kiss who are intrigued by the occult." —Library Journal, starred review
A half-demon socialite-turned-exorcist and his disgruntled bodyguard have no trouble facing down the hordes of darkness—but facing their feelings for each other? Well now, that’s a whole different story . . .
Helianthes is a Cambion—a child born touched by demons. Horned, clawed, and tailed, Helianthes—Hell for short—is a devil-may-care exorcist whose devil-may-care attitude has succeeded in alienating those closest to him—all save for his long-suffering bodyguard, Elias, who sees him as less a strange, mythical being and more just a . . . nuisance.
Together, the two venture into the streets of this psuedo-remix of Victorian London to exorcise demons (and maybe cause a little mischief on the way). But as Hell becomes increasingly drawn to his enigmatic bodyguard—and as Elias becomes increasingly aware of his feelings for his trouble of a charge—the two find themselves faced with a growing, chaotic dark that might threaten everything they’ve been working toward . . .
A world of half-demons and the boys who love them await in this epic queer romance by writer/artist Mari Costa!
My Review:
I originally picked this up because I fell in love with the author’s cozy fantasy novel, Shoestring Theory, about a cat and his wizard. I fully admit that I was there for Shoestring a whole lot more than I was for Cyril, Shoestring’s poor, incompetent human. I doubt anyone is surprised by this one little bit.
I don’t read a lot of graphic novels, but I loved Shoestring a lot, and this was recommended to me as part of a panel I was asked to moderate for Library Journal (LibraryCon Live) and it looked like fun. I had a ball with all of the books for the panel, but read them really fast and wasn’t planning on reviewing them all.
This one stuck with me. Or Shoestring was prodding me to come back to it. Perhaps a bit of both. Because it’s a bit of a devil’s food cake kind of book, literally and figuratively, and I’m always a sucker for sinfully dark chocolate.
Something like that, anyway.
The story you start out with it not the story you end with, while the ending makes you realize that the story you started with wasn’t the real story in the first place.
Cryptic enough?
Because we start with half-demon Helianthes Beausoleil being absolutely railed by his future brother-in-law. Well, his erstwhile future brother-in-law, as their romp is interrupted by the arrival of Hell’s sister and needless to say the engagement is OFF.
At first it seems like Hell is just a chaos agent, causing destruction wherever he goes, living down to the opinion that everyone has of him. After all, he’s a cambion, a half-demon, supposedly filled with all of a demon’s sins and all of a human’s weaknesses. Breaking his sister’s engagement with a sex scandal is EXACTLY the sort of thing that everyone expects of him.
This is where the story goes in a direction that the opening does not lead the reader to expect. Because Hell’s parents throw him out of the house, but send a bodyguard with him. Forcing him to make his way in the world while still trying to keep him safe.
And it’s the making of him. That’s the story. The story of half demon Hell going into business as a demon hunter, taking on the jobs that only he can, getting those very dangerous jobs done and making himself an entirely different kind of reputation along the way.
Not that it does anything to erase his reputation as a self-indulgent wild child, because that scandal is just too damn delicious for anyone to let go of.
But underneath that story is the real Hell. (Pun possibly intended, but sorta/kinda not). Because Hell is alone and lonely and a bit desperate for love and companionship and the only one he can trust for either of those things is his dog Cerberus. (The panel of Hell hugging Cerberus because no one else could ever love him is utterly heartbreaking.)
Meanwhile, standing right beside him – and occasionally in front defending him – is his bodyguard Elias. A man who tells Hell he’s being an absolute ‘bellend’ when he’s being an absolute brat, doesn’t take any shit, has no clue about fighting demons but sticks by Hell through thick and thin.
And it’s their story, the story of a lonely young man getting by on his wits and bravado, and a man just barely older using his size to cover up his soft heart, trying to be brave for each other while not revealing – or seeing – that they are so far gone for each other that nothing and no one can get between them.
Not even Hell’s obsessive, possessive ex who thinks that turning Elias into an actual monster will win back a Hell that he only thought he once had – but never really knew. At all.
Escape Rating A-: I was charmed by the grumpy/sunshine relationship between Helianthus and Elias. That Hell is the literal sunshine in their relationship while Elias is the grump is deliciously ironic. And I was captivated by the slow build of the reluctant romance between the two.
The story exists on two levels almost all the time, but not in the same way. The story on the top is the action/chaos/hellraising/hellbeating story, where Hell seems to be the optimistic fool rushing in where angels fear to tread. But then he would because he’s half demon.
At the same time, as Elias observes, whatever Hell looks like or dresses like or sounds like or acts like, he’s out there working, for real, as a vigilante, exorcising demons and saving ordinary humans. He may play at being a thorough reprobate, but he’s clearly one of the ‘good guys’ if you look beneath the provocation and flamboyance.
Hidden in the artwork, however, is the true story of their growing relationship. No matter what either of them says – and Hell says a lot while Elias doesn’t say very much at all – every scene shows them looking towards each other for reassurance, for acceptance, and for a love that neither is brave enough to admit.
One of the terrific things about this format is that their eyes are telling a quiet romantic story while the lion’s share of each panel is showing a whole lot of action and danger even as the dialog delivers some truly epic banter to devastating effect.
In the end, this is a charming, steamy, romance AND a beautiful story about being loved and accepted for who you really are and not settling for anything less. I’m very happy I picked it up to reread – more thoroughly this time, and I’m looking forward to the author’s next, especially if I get to catch up with Elias and Hell and especially Cerberus – so that he can steal the show again!
