Diana Bishop is an historian. She is also an orphan of parents murdered because they were witches, raised by her witches aunts. She has no power herself. But when she consults an old book on the Bodleian library in Oxford, she unleashes a series of supernatural events. She attracts the attention of a handsome vampire, Matthew de Clermont. Soon, the entire magical world learns that the Book of Life, lost for centuries, has resurfaced thanks to her. Vampires, witches and demons converge on Oxford, coveting the power and exceptional secrets contained in this grimoire. Although vampires are the enemy of witches, Diana is forced to trust Matthew to protect her. She learns that the fate of magical creatures, in decline for centuries, rests on her, and discovers impressive hidden powers.
Forbidden love, magic, and beautiful locations
The series is aimed primarily at fans of romance and magic. I fall into the second category, but for once, I was also able to watch a romance without getting bored. A rare occurrence for a series, the series gets better and better, each season surpassing the last. The plot becomes more complex, more gripping. The special effects are beautiful, without overdoing it or overshadowing the story.
But the series will also appeal to history lovers. We visit some magnificent sites: Oxford, Venice, a superb castle, New Orleans… We even travel back in time to Elizabethan London and Bohemia.
I was rather annoyed by the fact that, throughout the three seasons, we don’t understand how demons differ from humans. However, even if it’s not obvious from the outset, this story is an ode to tolerance, to the ability to show resilience and forgiveness, and to overcoming rigid traditions in order to invent a new world.
3 seasons, 25 episodes (50 mn), 2018-2022, on Netflix
WITH :
- Witches : Teresa Palmer as Diana Bishop, Malin Buska as Satu Järvinen, Owen Teale (Game of Thrones) as Peter Knox, Louise Brealey (seen in Sherlock) as Gillian Chamberlain, Alex Kingston as Sarah Bishop, Valarie Pettiford as Emily Mather, Sheila Hancock as Goody Alsop
- Vampires : Matthew Goode as Matthew de Clermont, Edward Bluemel (seen in My lady Jane) as Marcus Whitmore, Aiysha Hart as Miriam Shephard, Lindsay Duncan as Ysabeau de Clermont, James Purefoy as Philippe de Clermont, Gregg Chillin (The Wheel of time) as Domenico Michele, Trevor Eve as Gerbert d’Aurillac, Trystan Gravelle (series 1–2) and Peter McDonald (series 3) as Baldwin Montclair, Paul Rhys as Andrew Hubbard, Steven Cree (Outlander) as Gallowglass, Elarica Johnson as Juliette Durand, Sorcha Cusack as Marthe, Jacob Ifan as Benjamin Fuchs
- Deamons: Greg McHugh as Hamish Osborne, Tanya Moodie as Agatha Wilson, Daniel Ezra as Nathaniel Wilson, Aisling Loftus as Sophie Wilson
- Humans: Tom Hughes as Kit Marlowe, Ivanno Adelle Leonce as Phoebe Taylor, Jeremiah as Christopher Roberts