First, I haven't read the All Souls Trilogy so I can't claim to be a disaffected reader of a well-regarded work that the NYT called "imaginative grown-up fantasy." This series is most certainly NOT that (though, sadly, it might have been.)

Second, everything about this series was first-rate (locations, camera work, supporting characters and a number of leads) with the crushing exception of Teresa Palmer who plays the crucial character of Diana Bishop. The innocence expected of this role was completely overwhelmed by a cloying "Twilight" teen queen quality that undermined the strength of the story over all.

Third (and the reason for a second star), it manages to be entertaining even if it isn't completely satisfying.