As I finish reading "Chrysalis" by Jeremy Welch, I can't help but recalling this quote: "He Who Saves Just one Life Saves The World Entire" (from the Jewish Talmud). This book vividly describes the red light district of Amsterdam, as the main character Sebastian, fed up with the materialistic grind of London, escapes to find himself, by attempting in writing his first novel, and becoming involved with his new surroundings. Unknowingly he rents a place, which happens to be where he is able to observe and form relationships with the people living at the fringe of society. Non-judgmentally, with passion and compassion he learns of the fate and course of prostitution, victims of human trafficking, as well as the Spiegletent (a cabaret type circus), who become his friends and muses. The hopelessness of the victims of human trafficking is expressed through the voice and passion of a man that wants to help.

Honestly, I couldn't get through the second chapter. I know this is an ARC, but it's so poorly written (and/or poorly edited) that I couldn't put myself through that. It's a shame, because the cover is what drew me to the book initially, and then the description sounded interesting to me (reminded me a little of Moulin Rouge, in a way) and I was so excited to try it. The prose is disjointed and choppy, the lack of commas where there should be commas makes it frustrating to read, and the dialogue is confusing (there are scenes where there's no introduction of who the other person is in the conversation). Not to mention, the way almost every sentence is written is irritating. (It's hard to describe, but if you read it, I think you'll get what I mean). After deciding not to bother reading it (it's so short, so I really thought I would give it a chance), I skipped ahead to the halfway point to see if the writing quality improved. It did not.

Just, no. The cover is the best thing about this book.