Review updated on 3.5.2016. 
 This is the review I should have written back in October when I read the book, but didn't because I was trying to play nice. Guess what ? I prefer being honest to playing nice! Truth is, QoS ruined the series for me, up until Heir of Fire this was one of my favorite series but after the mess done in this book well...I am not sure anymore. 
 THE PLOT 
 It was okay, even though I believe that this book could have used 200 pages less. I mean there is a freaking war on the horizon and Sarah is, instead, busy doing the matchmaker with her characters. What the hell! 
 (view spoiler)[ One main thing that bothered me was Aelin's too perfect plans. The girl was a bit too lucky with everything turning out to just too well! *Riiiiiight* 
 And the death of Arobynn? The might king of assassins gone in such a lame way? Wasn't he supposed to be super alert even when sleeping? I was expecting an epic battle to the death not such an easy way to go, not "death by courtesan" *duh, just duh!* (hide spoiler)] 
 THE ROMANCE 
 Sarah got lost in the romance, at some point I could not care less who ended up with who. 
 She ruined her characters for the sake of shitty romance, disregarding everything written up to book 3 just to have her way with the ships. 
 (view spoiler)[ Something that really, really bothered me was the fact that Celeana/Aelin keeps on changing love interest in every damn book. It is perfectly fine to date more than one person and to love more than once---but the timing ? Utterly crap. 
 It would have made sense if Rowan and Aelin had ended up together in the 6th book (maybe) but not here and not like this. 
 In Heir of Fire I liked how the bond between Rowan and her was presented, more than once it was stated that it wasn't anything romantic but then QoS arrived. There is a gap of two weeks between the end of HoF and the beginning of QoS and that's all it takes for Aelin to fall out of love with Chaol and suddenly in love with Rowan. *Are you kiddin' right?* 
 In HoF was stated more than once how the bond between her and Rowan wasn't romantic and how there was no sexual attraction. It was also highlighted that Celeana/Aelin couldn't see herself with someone else other than Chaol but, apparently, all of this was forgotten in Queen of Shadows. 
 Sarah blatanly disregarded everything she had written so far for the sake---of I don't know what. Probably for Rowan's sake, she confessed that she fell in love with said character. 
 Anyway, I didn't know people had a switch for love and could be in and out of love on whim. I know people who - even if not together - continue to love each other even after years * This is an extreme case but still....* Feelings are feelings, they don't stop only because your mind said so. When you love, you love and it is hard to stop loving someone, is not something easy and it is not something done in a couple of days or weeks or - sometimes --even years. 
 Do not get me wrong, it is fine to date more than one person, to love more than once, to have flings and one-night stands. However, when you present every freaking love-interest or crush as "true love" or "soul mate" and all that---and then the love-interest is changed as often as you change underwear (assuming you do change it every day)... well, there is a word for this and it is not "love", in my vocabulary it is Hypocrisy! 
 More often than not, instead of reading a book it seemed to watch an episode of "The Bachelor" with Aelin as its star. Sarah stop pleasing the matchmaker, just stop. There is no need for all the freaking characters in the book to have a love-interest/crush/boyfriend/girlfriend, IT IS OKAY TO BE SINGLE!!! *Get it in your head!* (hide spoiler)] 
 I'm of the opinion that it takes more talent to keep interesting the same ship throughout a book than it takes to change ship every damn time. 
 THE CHARACTERS 
 God, Help me! How can I say this? Sarah J.Maas ruined them turning most of them OOC just for the sake of changing ship no matter what she had written before and so on! *well done...NOT* 
 AELIN 
 I was hoping to see great things from Celeana finally accepting her past. Alas! Aelin turned out to be a spoiled, power-crazy brat. *who would want her as queen? not me!* 
 (view spoiler)[ I didn't appreciate how Celeana was dismissed. People change, indeed but I have never seen someone become a completely different person all at once, going from black to white in no time. Is she suffering of multiple personality disorder or what? 
 Aaand the insta-friendship with Lysandra? if you read the novels you'd know they spent years and years hating each other and now it takes what? half an hour to become best friends forever?? WTF, just...WTF. 
 I liked Lysandra, though. 
 Besides, now Aelin has more names than Jace Wayland/Morgenstern/Lightwood/Herondale, congrats Aelin! *facepalm* (hide spoiler)] 
 CHAOL 
 I love/loved Chaol but GOD! I could not recognize him. Every time he and Aelin spoke I wanted to throttle both of them. *at least I was impartial* 
 (view spoiler)[ Let's talk about Aelin accusing Chaol of not doing anything when she was forced to kneel in front of Dorian at the beginning of TOG. Excuse me, he did not even know you back then, to him you were simply a ruthless assassin. 
 I am sorry but some of the excuses used to make Aelin/Chaol break up were completely ludicrous. 
 What about Nassyrin? She conveniently appeared out of nowhere *coughs plot device coughs* (hide spoiler)] 
 ROWAN 
 (view spoiler)[ He went from counting days since the death of his beloved to suddenly in love with Aelin, he went from being an old soul to being a crazy hormones-ridden teen. *I have nothing against hormones-ridden teens, this is just to make a point* 
 I could not stand the way he threated Aedion. Seriously, (view spoiler)[ I cannot see how the fact that he took the blood oath gave him the right to treat Aedion like shit or to mingle in family matters. I think it was a discussion between cousins, who invited him? No one! * asshole* (hide spoiler)] 
 I LOVED DORIAN, AEDION (even if at times he behaved like Aelin's lapdog) & MANON (at least!) (view spoiler)[ although I find the hinted and possible ship between Dorian & Manon far-fetched, as I said earlier in the review...IT IS OKAY TO BE SINGLE! NO NEED TO PAIR OFF EVERYONE! (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]