Boorman, Kate A

Liv was groomed for a life in the spotlight, while her older brother Jory, born with a partial facial paralysis, was left in the shadows. The only thing they have in common is contempt for their parents. Their parents mysteriously vanish, and the siblings are forced to work together.

Four girls from a defunct thrill-seeking group descend into a dangerous underground cave system in search of a subterranean lake that local legends claim has the power to change things for those who can confront their deepest fears.

Told in separate voices, Jory, whose face is partly paralyzed, and his sister Liv, a former reality television performer and child beauty pageant contestant, join forces to search for their missing parents.

Emmeline, kept so long behind walls, finally achieves her deepest desire: to leave the isolated world of the settlement and explore the wilderness that has long called to her. The subsequent journey, with First Peoples guide Matisa at her side, soon proves far more dangerous than she anticipated.

When the revered leader of her settlement, a dark, isolated land with merciless winters and puritanical rulers, asks Emmeline for her hand it is a rare opportunity, but not only does she love another man, she cannot ignore dreams that urge her into the dangerous and forbidden woods.