"The Paladin Prophecy," by Mark Frost Mark Frost, a co-creator, with David Lynch, of the seminal 1990s series "Twin Peaks," is no stranger to the art of suspense. It's unsurprising, then, that "The Paladin Prophecy," his first venture into young adult literature (he's written nine books for adults), contains thrills and plot twists in spades. Will West is a teenage boy who discovers his superhuman powers after he scores off the charts on a national exam. An elite academy recruits him to a campus full of other extraordinary children, where Will can learn his destiny. Yes, "The Paladin Prophecy" is a superhero coming-of-age tale, and the action is delightfully comic-book-like. Frost's simple writing style, which reads almost like a screenplay, works well for this type of heart-­pounding story. The movie rights have already been sold. The breakneck pace also deflects attention from several problems with the narrative's setting and characters. Unlike other fictional academies for special kids (Command School in "Ender's Game" comes to mind), the Center for Integrated Learning seems surprisingly ordinary, with little to set it apart from the average college campus - aside from a cool gadget here and there. With classes like "American Literature: Emerson, Thoreau and the American Ideal," the course work, in which a special academy could really distinguish itself, feels somehow too . . . normal. If a superhero is going to school, shouldn't the place have the charm of Percy Jackson's Camp Half-Blood, the whimsy of Harry Potter's "Potions and Dark Arts," or the ineffable cool factor of the X-Mansion's close combat and flying lessons? The comparatively pedestrian schoolyard here feels like a lost opportunity, especially since Frost has proved himself to be talented at establishing place in his other work. Perhaps we'll see this resolved in sequels. Will, at least, is comfortably fleshed out in an appealing mix of relatable and aspirational characteristics. Here is a witty boy with a sarcastic streak, endearingly appreciative of both friends and family. What's more, his superpowers (incredible aerobic capacity coupled with the ability to manipulate other people's minds) will induce envy and admiration from more ordinary readers. And perhaps they can relate more than Frost intended: Will's supposed genius feels curiously uneven in parts. He knows, for example, what the word "quotidian" means and is well versed in regional accents, but he has trouble placing a speaker from Australia or New Zealand. Will's father also has some interesting quirks, like his all-caps rules to live by, which govern Will's every decision, but other characters, particularly the females, are painted with broad strokes rather than careful lines. This last point bears emphasizing. In an overflowing cast, the main figures in "The Paladin Prophecy" are predominantly male. Why so few girls at the country's most elite academy? Sure, female students are occasionally alluded to, but the reader never really gets to know them. While the boys have a fair range of physical and personality traits, the female cast - Dr. Robbins, Brooke Springer and Elise Moreau - is reduced to model-like perfection, little more than caricatures and simplistic objects of fantasy (with the exception of Will's mother, who has a tiny role as Everymom). Brooke, Will's bland crush, requires constant rescuing despite her weak attempts at sounding independent. Elise, the most interesting girl of the bunch, is drawn almost entirely in terms of how she reacts to a former boyfriend. Despite this noticeable imbalance, "The Paladin Prophecy" holds up well over all, yet more evidence of the enduring appeal of the "child at extraordinary school" premise. This is young adult literature as popcorn blockbuster. And Frost's consummate skill with suspense means reluctant readers should have no trouble breezing through its 547 pages. Marie Lu's new novel, "Prodigy," a sequel to "Legend," will be published in January.