Dancia Lewis spends her time trying to be ordinary. She knows she has a mysterious power that helps her protect people she cares about, but it also can hurt others. Dancia tries to control that power by not having close friends and trying not to care about anything at school. So she’s surprised when she’s offered a full-ride scholarship to attend high school at prestigious Delcroix Academy, where the super-smart children of super-wealthy and distinguished families go.

Even though most of the kids at Delcroix are nice and talented, her new friend Jack convinces her that something is not quite right. He believes there’s a sinister reason behind the tight school security, and he’s sure they’re being watched wherever they go. Dancia also begins to suspect that she may not be the only student at Delcroix with special powers. She works to find out the truth, and finds a few surprises along the way.

Delcroix Academy: The Candidates is the first in a new series for young adults by Inara Scott. It blends the concerns of normal teenage life with that of intriguing superpowers that can be used for good or evil. Dancia makes an interesting heroine who is learning how to have a social life for the first time and trying to determine her interest in both Jack and Cam, who appears to be perfect. Areas for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 14 and up to discuss include making friends and being a good friend, the attraction “bad boys” may represent, and learning how to be true to yourself.

As the first in a series, Delcroix Academy: The Candidates went just far enough to satisfy my need to feel completion at the end of the story, while still dangling the promise of the next book. I, for one, can’t wait for the second book in the series.