The Magic Powers: The Disastrous & Devastating Whole 

Additionally, The Witching Hour says that Carlotta Mayfair gives the baby, Rowan, to Ellie Mayfair and her husband. Ellie is Rowan’s aunt and can’t conceive, so she and her husband are to raise Rowan as their own and never let her know that she is a Mayfair. Rowan was raised away from New Orleans as Rowan Fielding. In the first episode of Mayfair Witches, it appears that Ellie raises Rowan as a single mother. This is a detail that I’m almost okay with. The book says that Rowan killed her uncle with her mind when she was a child. 

In the book, it says that Cortland Mayfair, Deirdre’s uncle, raped Deirdre so that he was Rowan’s father. In the television show, Cortland chooses a handsome young man to spend time with Deirdre during one of his parties. The young man is shown wearing a mask while he and Deirdre are in bed. We don’t know who is actually behind the mask. It was said that the Mayfair witches were active in incest to keep their wealth and powers in the family, and this also protected Lasher. 

Next, most of us know about Anne Rice’s house in New Orleans’ Garden District. For those who don’t, at the time these books were written Anne Rice was living in a historic home in New Orleans. It was white with Greek-style columns and gardens. She loved that house and it is said that she created the Mayfair family home to look like her old house. 

Lastly, Jack Huston, the actor who plays Lasher in the television series, is not as I would expect. Lasher in Mayfair Witches is a good-looking gentleman who, so far, seems pretty harmless. The part where he reveals his true nature to Deirdre was interesting and a little bit nail-biting, but it was short and not really fear-provoking. As readers, we are always nervous about what Lasher is doing. He is an enigmatic character who is always demanding emotions of either fear or excitement. This makes the book all the more compelling. 

Three Powerful Reasons to Watch The Mayfair Witches

There are three main reasons to give Mayfair Witches a chance. First, the unique originality in Anne Rice’s novels is kept intact. It was pleasantly surprising to see that the story was still quite intriguing. Anne Rice creates worlds like no other, even if that theme has been done a million times before. The show lets that rare quality shine through. I still checked the date of the next episode, because I so wanted to see what was gonna happen next. I don’t like changes to my favorite novels, so for me, that is a compliment to the series and cast. 

Second, it’s lots of fun to watch strong women being evil, sexual, beautiful, and dangerous for a change. The Mayfair women in this television series are so beautiful, wealthy, and powerful they don’t have to live up to common societal norms. These women are not superheroes. They are not angels or demons, even though they are supernatural. There are plenty of things out of their control, but they are privileged to have so much more freedom than most female characters in films are allowed. 

Third, it is well done enough that if you don’t like how it handles Anne Rice’s story, you can still watch the show. Mayfair Witches has an impressive collection of esteemed executive producers and directors, including Michael Uppendahl, Anne Rice, Christopher Rice, Jeff Freilich, Mark Johnson, Michelle Ashford, and Esta Spalding, directed by Michael Uppendahl. The creators claim they knew how Anne Rice’s fans felt about changes to the book, so they tried to respect the details as much as possible. It is an intriguing, professionally done show that seems like it’s going to continue to be captivating, passionate, and imaginative. 

Watch Mayfair Witches on Sundays on AMC+.