A chilling young adult sci fi that will twist your mind. By the author of the best selling series, The Dark Carousel. The hidden, tropical valley of Lake Ephemeral seemed like a paradise. When orphan Seraphin is told her mother is alive and living in this idyllic valley, she's overjoyed. At last, she can have a family. But something is wrong in Lake Ephemeral. Seven mansions surround the lake, and it is forbidden to enter the seventh. Seraphin accidentally discovers the terrifying secret inside the seventh manor. A group of scientists is experimenting on the children. But there's no escape. No resident of the valley ever sets foot outside the high, iron fences that surround it - not even when a young girl falls ill and dies. In her seventeenth year, Seraphin will make a bold but desperate plan. The clock is ticking. The experiments carried out on her when she was just a child are about to change her in ways she does not yet understand. "...this novel was unique and interesting and exciting from beginning to end. A refreshing change of pace from your typical YA novel. One part mystery, one part thriller, one part science fiction with a particular emphasis on the science. It was truly a gem to find." Jess ❈Harbinger of Blood-Soaked Rainbows❈ (Goodreads reviewer) Lake Ephemeral is also published in France by publisher, Editions du Chat Noir.