The Candidates (Delcroix Academy, Book 1)

This was a relatively intriguing idea, but it was mediocre in its delivery. The Candidates (Delcroix Academy, Book 1) begins a new young adult series by Inara Scott. Dancia is average in everything except one, and it's that one thing that makes her determined to stay below the radar in everything else. She has a secret power, but the problem is, it's uncontrollable. Whenever she gets upset, people end up getting hurt and going to the hospital. Dancia has determined that the best way to keep people safe is to guard herself against getting attached to anyone. She reasons, if she doesn't care, she can't get upset.

Everything changes when recruiters come from the prestigious, out-of-her-league boarding school called Decroix Academy. They think Dancia is special, but they couldn't know about her power, could they? Dancia is sure they have made a mistake, but she accepts their full scholarship offer anyway. The thing is, it's impossible to be average at Delcroix. Everyone has talent, whether it's in math, music, science, or language. Dancia begins to wonder why some people, including herself and her new friend Jack, don't seem to have any talent, at least none that others can know about. Then there's something mysterious about the school itself. It's overly protected, and some of the older students seem to have their eyes glued to Dancia's every movement, including a very hot junior who was one of her recruiters.

This story has so much potential, but it didn't play much with it. Dancia is a girl with superpowers, but she barely uses them throughout the book. When the hidden purposes of Delcroix are revealed, they are somewhat disappointing. Nothing really happens at the end of the book. The climax is underdone.

If you want a story about superpowers at a boarding school, H.I.V.E. is a better option. It's a story about a secret boarding school for the children of supervillains. It has much more danger, and the characters are more interesting.