Good things first: this book had some truly stunning imagery. Though similes may have been overused at times, the writing is beautiful. It’s well-written, the world feels a bit hazy, but still believable. The premise is fantastic. 
The not-as-great things next: there is a dirth of decent men in this book. When the content warnings say “misogyny”, they MEAN it. I understand that the almost-historical nature of the text hearkens to an even darker time when women were viewed as empty playthings with little to offer beyond their physical features, but it was so depressing to read. It’s not unrealistic, even these days, but the fact that there is exactly one decent male character (and a half for the professor we meet at the very end who at least appears to be more progressive, or open to the possibility that—shocker—women are people, too) is hard to swallow. The main chatacter’s mother is also horrid, even though she gets little time on the page. The FMC has a lot of shit to deal with, emotional and mentally. But she’s still brilliant, even if she’s not convinced of her own worth. And that’s not surprising when you live in her world. The only other things I’d mention is that the ultimate discovery and center point of the students’ thesis was easy to guess, and the villain being taken down felt… shockingly easy. Not that I’d have wanted it to be stretched out, but it was still quite swift. 
All in all, I’m glad I read the book. I do want to know more about the world, so I may look into the sequel when it comes out. But I’m also a bit traumatized by the utter failure of men in this, which means I’ll have to read some (possibly spicy) romances with decent men in them as a palate cleanser beforehand.