The Hadley Academy for the Improbably Gifted by Conor Greenan

My name is Jack, and Superior Blue believes I'm the Guardian prophesied by the monks who founded the Hadley Academy. He even created a thirteenth team of recruits and found three more dormants to join me. However, dormants are powerless, and we were only given three days to weaponize the abilities we hadn't discovered yet. Impossible? No, Freddy, Asha, and Voss did it, so they became improbables. But the Dome still wouldn't allow us to enter for a simulation, since I was still dormant. Then something strange happened. The Dome summoned us during the night and dropped us into an unexpected simulation. Instead of the farm scene, we confronted Wyeth and his reapers and discovered he's now able to darken humans. When we exited the Dome, there was no record of our experience. Most improbables think Wyeth is dead, but what if he's not? How am I supposed to end the Reaper War without a blade?

This book had familiar characters discovering new powers in order to save the world. The first half of the book was fairly predictable, but the second half was much more interesting. Underlying stories were revealed, and good and bad characters seemed to shift. Jack was clearly the main character, but his role as the Guardian was fuzzier. His blade (special ability) wouldn't break through, so how was he supposed to be the one to stop Wyeth? The answer was a huge surprise. The unpredictability of the plot and the conflict with Wyeth made this book special. He was able to transform "good guys" into reapers and darkened, so his forces continued to grow while the opposition's numbers shrunk. No one at the Hadley Academy was able to locate him, but he was somehow able to speak in Jack's head. This mystery continued throughout the plot until it reached its climax. As a reader, I kept wondering where Wyeth could be hiding. Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, whenever it's finally published.