Chosen Ones (The Chosen Ones, #1)

by Veronica Roth

In other words, magic is a mirror. It reflects us back to ourselves, and we may not always like what we see.

Developing the magic system for this book took several drafts. I wanted it to hinge on something more technical than mystical, which is where the sound frequencies and oscilloscopes came in. But I didn't want magic to be quite that straightforward, because if it's just a matter of hitting the correct frequency, there's no explanation for why some people (like the Dark One) might be so much better at it than other people. That's where the DESIRE part came in. Sloane has PTSD and depression, and the latter makes it difficult for her to want anything. So for magical ability to hinge on desire felt like a good way to bring character and world-building together. She doesn't let herself want anything-- so she can barely do magic. But when she opens herself up to desire, she wants TOO MUCH, and her magic becomes destructive. This says a lot about her.