I loved the plot. I cannot say the details were always clear, I did stumble a couple of times, trying to figure out how we got from "here" to "there". A few more pages, explaining things, would have been a huge plus. But the idea of the book, a person trying to find his way in unfamiliar situations and in the end coming out as a winner, is fascinating to me. Add to that an unusual and mysterious universe of the Empress's world, the quiet sadness of Memorial Garden, a young man trying to change unjust system that lasted for centuries and few very hot BDSM scenes and you are in for a wonderful and captivating read.
Four and a half stars from me.