The Incorruptibles 1 by Lauren Magaziner

What worked:

This imaginary world finds sorcerers controlling the world and humans oppressed. Sorcerers can do anything they want to humans with no fear of retaliation. Humans have their homes and property stolen, and they’ll likely be killed if they challenge the sorcerers. The Incorruptibles, or Incs, are an organized group of human resistance fighters who create the plot’s conflict. The sorcerers have specific abilities, such as teleportation, physical transformation, and hands of fire or knives. The Radiance are the top sorcerers, and the most dangerous of them kills anyone he touches. It’s difficult for readers to imagine how non-magical humans can stop a world run by sorcerers.

Fiora doesn’t have any special powers, but she unexpectedly ends up at an academy that trains future Incorruptibles. She’s immediately resented by almost every student there, especially one of her teammates. Mel seems angry with everyone, but she’s especially antagonistic toward Fiora. Onyx and Cameron are more open to Fiora’s presence, and Quinn, the team leader, is the one who broke regulations and brought her to the academy. Fiora and the others are dealing with grief and other trauma that are still affecting their lives. Fiora is given sixty days, not a minute more, to prove herself or be thrown out of the academy. And Mel seems to be making it her mission to make sure Fiora fails.

The author adds mystery to the plot by creating mystery at the academy. Things start going wrong even as Quinn is transporting Fiora and her uncle away from a Radiance attack. Then, “safe” missions result in injuries and surprise attacks from sorcerers who aren’t supposed to be there. The Incs decide there must be a spy inside the academy, so everyone, along with readers, begins to suss out suspects. Fiora is an immediate target, since she doesn't arrive in the usual way. She makes it her mission to find the mole and save other students from further injuries. Clues point to various characters, and the author saves some twists for later in the story. The plot’s resolution is unexpected, but it steers the sequel into new possibilities.

What didn’t work as well:

Maybe I missed something, but there’s no explanation behind the name Incorruptibles. It makes sense that the name derives from humans unwilling to be corrupted by the sorcerers’ promise of power, but readers are left to make that assumption. It’s not a big deal, but it’s something.

The final verdict:

The war between sorcerers and humans will grab readers' interests, and they’ll root for Fiora’s success. The mystery of the spy adds intrigue, and an eventual confrontation with the Radiance is looming. I recommend you give this series a shot.