Destructive Power of Love

While love is usually considered a positive influence that works for good, forbidden love and obsessive love drive characters to evil actions and alter the lives of those affected in Lord of Shadows.

Laws in the Shadowhunter culture forbid specific relationships. The government's attitude is that these laws should be obeyed without question. The love between Annabel and Malcolm is the most obvious example of the destructive influence of forbidden love. The couple's love was positive when they were young, but laws forbade that love because Annabel was a Shadowhunter and Malcolm was a Downworlder. When Malcolm discovers that Annabel has been murdered because of their love, he spends more than a century trying to find a way to resurrect her. Malcolm is consumed by love. He is irrational, caring nothing about hurting others to achieve his goal. He kills many people during...