Firefight

by Jorge Teillier

Like Freedom, Morrigan discovers she has extraordinary abilities that mark her as different—and dangerous to those in power. Townsend builds her magic system through trials and challenges the way Wild reveals Freedom's powers through mission work, and both protagonists find themselves caught between competing factions with unclear loyalties. The sense of being recruited into something larger than yourself, with mentors whose true motives remain shadowy, creates that same delicious tension.

by Maggie Stiefvater

Stiefvater weaves psychic abilities into a contemporary mystery the way Wild does, but she's more interested in how supernatural talents fracture friendships and create moral ambiguity. Your group of gifted teens here—Java and the others—would recognize themselves in Stiefvater's characters, who are constantly negotiating between loyalty to each other and the dangerous forces pulling them apart. The Draconis family's creepy organization has a parallel in the shadowy powers manipulating events from the margins.

by Brandon Sanderson

This is the deep-cut recommendation: Sanderson constructs his magic system with the same architectural precision Wild uses for her psychic powers, but he's writing epic fantasy rather than contemporary thriller. What connects them is the focus on how superpowers create political factions and make individuals targets—your protagonist's strength in Firefight parallels the way Sanderson's characters navigate a world where their abilities make them either invaluable or expendable. The kidnapping plot and forced servitude echo here too, but on a grander scale.

by Peter V. Brett

Brett's first book follows multiple perspectives discovering their hidden powers in a world where they're hunted—much like your kidnapped teens with psychic abilities. What makes this feel fresh compared to Firefight is Brett's willingness to let his characters be genuinely vulnerable and flawed, and his pacing mirrors Wild's by alternating between intimate character moments and high-stakes action. The Draconis family's predatory interest in gifted youth finds its match in Brett's exploration of how power attracts exploitation.