A woman searching for answers in her own life finds them–and much more–in the wreckage and haunting stories of one of the most infamous maritime disasters in history.
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.
Amsterdam, 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 faith, acceptance, and love.
My Review:
Gritty and gut wrenching. An emotional roller coaster of a read that highlights a particularly brutal piece of maritime history off the coast of Australia. The author does an incredible job of bringing those 1628 events to life through a combination of fictional characters and actual historical figures.
In this dual timeline novel we follow three characters, Saskia and Aris in the 1600s and 2ist century Tess who is honouring the memory of her recently deceased father by finishing up a historical paper he was writing about the shipwreck of the Batavia.
And oh my, is that history riveting…but not for the faint of heart. So this is your mature content warning which includes graphic scenes of violence. I had the opportunity to listen to the audio narration of ‘Daughters of the Wreckage’ (more about that later) and I had to stop listening periodically and read a rom/com or a light cozy mystery to lighten my mood before continuing the audio book.
Koens’ writing is lyrical, her descriptions not only painting a picture in my mind, but filling me up with emotions. I definitely felt my way through this book, particularly through the historical timeline. Honestly, Tess’s struggles seemed so paltry when compared to what her ancestors endured, so I definitely connected with the 1600 era characters and events more.
I enjoyed the three POV storytelling, particularly with the distinctive voices of three narrators to bring these characters to life. Kristy Best, Jessica Spies and Angus McGruther gave amazing performances. In fact, given the number of foreign names, accents, etc, the narration really compliments Koens’ compelling storytelling.
My thanks to Thomas Nelson Fiction Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.
GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:
Please Note: this book doesn’t release until Sepember 15, so you’ll have a bit of a wait to claim your win
US – ebook
Canada – ebook or audio — winner’s choice
International – ebook if you have a US Kindle account
If you would like a chance to win a copy of Daughters of the Wreckage, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 8 2026.
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