Daughters of the Wreckage by Stefanie Koens: Book Review

 **ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

Two women. One shipwreck. And four centuries of secrets.

Shortly before Christmas in 2018, Tess McCarthy, after years as a hard-working English teacher who never did anything out of the ordinary, flies to Western Australia's remote Abrolhos Islands. She is in search of answers--both to the infamous Batavia shipwreck and her personal family crises.

In 1628, Saskia, an orphaned young Dutchwoman, boards Batavia with relatives, bound for a new and potentially dangerous life in the East Indies--only for her world to first collide with Aris Jansz, the ship's taciturn under surgeon.

Tess, Saskia, and Aris--their lives linked by secrets that span generations--carry the baggage of past losses and the uncertainty of their futures. And, in the most unlikely circumstances, they may find qualities that echo through centuries: faith, acceptance, and love.

A woman searching for answers in her own life finds them--and much more--in the wreckage and haunting stories of the Batavia shipwreck.

Previously published in Australia as Daughters of Batavia.

The Author

Stefanie Koens grew up in Perth, reading, writing and dreaming of stories. As a teenager she won prizes in the Mary Durack Young Writers Award, then studied English, history and education at the University of Notre Dame. She loves bringing local history to life and capturing family stories. Connect with her online at https://stefaniekoens.com; Instagram: @stefaniekoens

Book Review

Wow, what a story. I've got to admit it was the beautiful cover that drew me in for this one, so I went in on that alone... with no idea what to expect. As such, I was surprised to discover the dual timeline, but once I got over the surprise of it, I found myself being drawn into the lives of both Tess and Saskia and their connection over the Batavia shipwreck. I really enjoyed how the author connected these two timelines and found it intriguing to learn more about this historic shipwreck that I was unfamiliar with prior to this book. And seriously, what a story it was... intriguing but at times very gruesome to read about. The author clearly did her research well. Blended with that history though was also beautiful messages of faith. I was blown away to discover that this was the author's debut... with a debut like this, I will certainly be watching for more from her in the future. If you enjoy Christian historical fiction, this is definitely one worth checking out. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/4wNtFQ9