Daughters of the Wreckage

by Stefanie Koens

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.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Audiobook, Australia, Christian Fiction, Mystery

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2025

About 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.

source: Amazon

Reviews

[Brooke - Brooke's Reading Life]

**4.5 stars**

**Thank you to HarperCollins Australia for sending me a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review; published 29 July 2025**

As a Western Australian with some Dutch background (okay okay, it's a few generations back but I'll still claim it when I want) and a morbid curiosity, I've always found the story of Batavia fascinating. So when I saw the synopsis of this novel I was super keen. And it did not disappoint; in fact, it was excellent. Featuring a dual timeline which cleverly links the two times by character relationships, this was a fascinating read. I always appreciate a fiction novel that I can get lost in but also learn about real history at the same time. The scenes on the island after the shipwreck is utterly nail-biting with tension. The modern timeline explores life while grieving a loved one so had some poignant chapters.
Overall: a fabulous and very well-written story, it's hard to believe this is a debut novel. Highly recommend.

[Anna Loder]

Could not put this down!!!!! I knew nothing of Batavia and this just meet me there!!! What an incredible story, what an incredible band of characters and circumstances!!! Just so captivating!!!!! I also really loved the modern day storyline because omg it’s such a current development, they are still finding things belonging to Batavia and so that was fascinatingly done too! Loved Daughters of Batavia and can’t wait to see what Stefanie Koens does next!!!!!

[Erin]

Publisher's Description: Two women. One shipwreck. And four centuries of secrets.

Following the death of her father, Tess McCarthy decides to journey to Western Australia's remote Abrolhos Islands to learn more about her family connection to one of the people who travelled on the ship, Batavia. In the other timeline, we hear from Saskia, an orphaned Dutchwoman travelling aboard the Batavia with her aunt and cousin. It is Saskia who comes into contact with Tess's family connection, Aris Jansz. Aris works with the ship's surgeon.

Honestly, Saskia and Aris face a lot of danger during their time on the ship and in the aftermath of the wreckage. So, my mind was always on the danger they faced. I am not saying Tess's turmoil after losing her father isn't serious. It was obvious she was also dealing with many family matters. It is merely that Saskia had more dangers to face in her life.

I find myself in a 3-star rating territory because I did feel the book started to drag a bit, and I longed for a conclusion.



#DaughtersoftheWreckage #NetGalley
Publication Date 15/09/26
Goodreads Review 26/09/26
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Emily]

(I received a complimentary copy of this title from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.)

I have mixed feelings about this book.

On one hand, I love learning about a historical event that I knew NOTHING about: the shipwreck of Batavia and the subsequent mutiny that followed.

On the other hand, this historical event had many very gruesome elements which were unpleasant to read about in story-form. Though I do appreciate the author’s being faithful to communicate the horrors that these people endured, I think that some details could have been omitted or described in less detail. I realize this is completely my personal preference!

I think I would’ve enjoyed this story more if I’d connected more to the characters. This story is told in two different timelines and with three POV’s. Aris’s POV was my favorite and then Saskia’s. I cared much more about these two characters than I did Tess, the MC of the modern timeline. I just did not feel at all invested in her story and didn’t find her to be very likable, unfortunately. I cared a lot more about Aris and Saskia and felt invested in their survival. My one wish is that we’d have gotten to know them better together. I felt like a lot of the book focused on what was happening around the MC’s, and I felt like I didn’t get enough about the MC’s themselves. I felt like I never really truly got to know them, just what happened to them.

This book does have Christian faith elements in it and I appreciated that. I loved the reference to many psalms and hymns that Saskia clung to in terrifying times.

I want to make sure that readers know that this book should come with a lengthy list of content warnings. There’s a lot of SA, a lot of violence, and a lot of death in this story, much of which is described on page.

I enjoyed elements of this book and was invested enough to finish it. I would recommend this title, but only to certain people depending on their reading tastes.

[Claire van Ryn]

It’s clear to see why Daughters of Batavia by Stefanie Koens won the Banjo Prize for Fiction! The research feat evidenced in its pages sees you climbing aboard the Batavia on its fateful maiden voyage in 1628 and introduced to characters who will play roles from mutineer to rescuer when the ship wrecks on a reef in the Abrolhos Islands off the coast of Geraldton, WA.

I’m a sucker for books like this, entertaining me and teaching me at the same time. The history opened my eyes to the horrific circumstances survivors faced after the shipwreck, as they waited for rescue under a psychopathic, self appointed leader.

The present day thread gave a gentler counterpoint - a young woman drawn to the shipwreck site, looking for answers as she processes her own grief. Throw a bit of romance in the mix and you get ALL the feels in this stunning debut.

I loved the way Stef braided themes of hope, faith and legacy into both timelines, and that intriguing delft tulip pendant and the massive AHA moment it gave 🩵

[Colleen Maclennan]

The story of the Batavia shipwreck and the fate of the survivors was interesting although gruesome. The cast of characters abroad the ship were quite the variety and contributed to the historical significance of this fated journey. The modern part of the book with Tess searching for her connection to a passenger on this ship was less engaging .

[Shyames]

I knew nothing of the history of Batavia, the mutiny and the survivors coming into this book. While it does provide an interesting mix of different POVs from that time and from nowadays as well, it feels like something was missing for me.

We basically follow the Batavia ship and its passengers from Texel, Netherlands, to Batavia, the Dutch East Indies. From the very first day we observe a mix of passengers from different classes, different walks of life, trying to fit in together. Saskia travels with her aunt and her cousin to join her uncle in Batavia. Not that she's in any way excited by the prospect, but what can you do. Aris is a surgical apprentice keen on getting his promotion to a master in his own right. Their paths keep crossing on board the ship while the crew starts splitting and mutiny is imminent. With a sick captain, no one is safe once the ship is wrecked before it can reach its destination.

What follows are gruesome descriptions of what happened on the islands they reached, how humans can become deplorable in such conditions and kill each other like there's no tomorrow. There is no good or evil here, there are humans and beasts, stuck together through this horrible experience. And those who were able to escape.

The worst thing is, this actually happened. In the current timeline, while we follow Tess who finds out she's a descendant of Aris, we also get glimpses of the archaeological effort on the remains of the ship and its passengers. Those fragments were very interesting and I liked the explanations of the process and what happens next with the bones they are able to find.

It's a good historical fiction, filling in the gaps in what we know about the wreckage and the massacre that followed. It did feel a bit disconnected at times when switching timelines, though. It also drops you right into the story and personally, I would have appreciated a bit more of a setup as I didn't know anything about it. Though it did prompt me to research a bit to fit it all better in my head.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

[Danae Mckain]

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

When I saw the description for this story I was intrigued because it's not a topic that I had ever heard anything about. The split timeline going back and forth was interesting but at times the present day investigation was a little boring for me. I also felt like the relationship between the main character and her love interest was meh.

I did enjoy the backstory and learning about the ship and the characters during that time period. It was a horrible time and awful things happened, but I loved how the story ended in the end.

[Andrea]

This was good, but I have read a couple of other novels on the same topic in recent years and they were better. If I'd read this one first, no doubt I would have loved it. One of the 3 audiobook narrators was good; the other 2 tried.

[Susan]

🎧 ALC Audiobook

This was a very interesting and enjoyable fictionalized audiobook about the shipwreck of the Dutch merchant ship Batavia on its maiden voyage to the East Indies in the early 1620s.

The book follows two storylines. One is set in the 1600s follows the life of a young girl, Saskia, as she sets sail on the Batavia with her aunt and cousin. The other is in current day Australia as a young woman, Tess, researches the shipwreck to finish an article started by her late father and learn more about a relative of her mother’s who had been aboard the Batavia.

The descriptions of the times, the ship and conditions aboard as well as the horrible aftermath of the wreck and struggle for survival were very well done. I was fully invested in the story and all of the characters portrayed. While both storylines were solid and interesting, I was far more invested in the historical segments on the ship and the challenges of the survivors. It’s a fascinating story and it was hard to put down.

The narration was very good. Three different narrators did single narration for each of their segments - Tess, Saskia and an apprentice surgeon on board the Batavia, Aris.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the narration. The story of the Batavia is a very intriguing and ultimately tragic one. Definitely worth a listen!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction Audio for the opportunity to listen to an ALC and share my opinions.

[Tammy O]

What an interesting story from the history of Australia and The Netherlands. I knew nothing about the wreck of Batavia in the 1600s. The author warned about the horrors to come in Tess’s chapters and I almost stopped reading. But I was invested in Saskia, Aris and Lucretia’s stories and kept reading. Aside from the violence of the mutineers after the Batavia wrecked on the reef, I liked the story. I really liked Saskia, Aris, Lucretia and even the aunt. I liked a couple of the women that Saskia befriended in the lowest quarters of the ship. One of the women turned out to be part of a mystery at the end, that still has me questioning. Tess was not very likable—I don’t think she was supposed to be, though. She was in a rough place of grief.

Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

[Carolyn]

Daughters of Batavia is a great new story by Stefanie Koens.

I always love a Shipwreck story!

This one is based on a true story.

It made for a very interesting read 📚 and I learnt a lot more about the islands situated off the Western Australian coast near Batavia's shipwreck site and graveyard.

Can you guess how the blue tulip necklace relates to the whole story and its connection.

Read it and see in Stefanie Koens new novel, Daughters of Batavia.

An educational and exciting read.

[Nat]

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and producer for this early listening copy. I’m a fan of historical fiction, particularly when I can learn about things I didn’t know about. I had never heard of the Batavia prior to this book. If you are also unfamiliar with the story of the Batavia please check trigger warnings as it was quite brutal.
I enjoyed the characters on the boat much more than the modern characters. I honestly think I would have enjoyed this book more without the Tess component. The narration was very well done with each POV having their own narrator. My one issue was that some of the dialogue held over the phone was hard to understand. I get that it was intended to give a more theatrical experience but through my headphones it wasn’t clear.

[Danielle McGregor]

Tess’ father passes away and on his work desk she finds an unfinished article about the shipwreck of Batavia.

Told in the current day as Tess, her guide Drew and some archeologists try to delve into the truths that occurred in the 1600’s as Batavia’s ship was wrecked.

A slow start and a slow burn with some sections of this story that were downright harrowing. The mutiny after Batavia was shipwrecked. The unnecessary killings of men, women and children. The ‘taking’ of wives and mistresses.

A very cleverly constructed storyline. Audio was great!

Not 5 star - but a good 4 stars!

[Alib]

Fabulous story based on real events which I had never heard of before. I am now very keen to visit the beautiful Abrolhos Islands in WA where a ship, the Batavia, was wrecked on the coral reefs. The modern day story and the shipwreck story run parallel to each other. Aris the ships surgeon and Saskia face the horrors of the ship while Tess is shown around the archeological dig on a boat skippered by Drew.

[Kelly Hillman]

A slow burn but I really liked it, especially the part set in the 1600’s. I had never really given much thought as to what it would be like to be on a ship at sea for months and months. And how scary it could be if the wrong people were in charge, and how you are totally at mercy of the men in charge, the elements etc. The second half of the book was much more exciting than the first

[Nicki]

Good book, slow burn til mid novel then I couldn't put it down.
The 1629 side of the story was fascinating, these survivors had such harsh circumstances because of a violent mutany, but surviving on seal meat and wallaby they somehow survived.
The 2018 side was a bit of a let down, but still a good part of the novel.
Definitely tought me alot about a shipwreck I never knew existed in WA.

[Rebecca Preedy]

Probably 3.5 stars if not a Batavia tragic like me.

[Rebecca Bredenhof]

3.5 stars

[Regency_Fan_ Michelle RegencyFanMichelleAndMore]

Daughters of the Wreckage is a sweeping historical fiction novel inspired by the wreck of the Batavia off the coast of Western Australia in 1629. Told through dual timelines, the story moves between Saskia and Aris in the seventeenth century and Tess in 2018 as she investigates the wreck and its connection to her own family.

I enjoyed both timelines and appreciated the way the past and present gradually connected. The author does a fantastic job bringing the seventeenth-century world to life, from the harsh realities of shipboard life and the differences between social classes to the isolation and desperation faced by the survivors. Tess’s modern-day story added another layer as she searched for answers surrounding both the wreck and her own family. You can tell this story was very well researched, and I really appreciated how much historical detail was woven throughout.

I also appreciated the Christian faith elements, especially the discussions surrounding Reformed faith. Those conversations added another layer to the story and were something I particularly enjoyed.

I experienced both the physical book and the audiobook narrated by Kristy Best, Jessica Spies, and Angus McGruther, and I thought the narration was very well done. The multiple narrators helped bring the different perspectives and timelines to life and added to the immersive quality of the story.

The audiobook is around eleven hours, and the story was a little slow to capture my attention in the beginning. I found it difficult to fully connect with the characters, but as the story progressed and the events began unfolding, I became much more invested. I enjoyed both timelines, and the narration was very well done.

Readers should be aware that this novel deals with difficult historical subject matter, murder, massacres, sexual assault and death. The incidents are brief and not overly descriptive, but some of the events themselves can still be disturbing.

A big thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the gifted ARC and ALC. I was not required to leave a positive review. All opinions are my own.

[Adam‘’s book reviews]

Daughters of the Wreckage combines historical fiction with a contemporary archaeological mystery centered around the 1629 Batavia shipwreck. The novel moves between the events surrounding the voyage and the survivors’ experiences after the wreck, along with a present-day investigation into the remains and stories left behind.

The historical storyline was the strongest part of the book for me. The author created an immersive setting through descriptions of ship life, social hierarchy, medical practices, and survival after the wreck. I especially enjoyed the use of multiple historical perspectives. Seeing events through both a passenger and the under surgeon gave a broader view of the voyage and made the historical sections more engaging.

I also appreciated how the archaeological investigation connected the modern storyline to the historical events. The research and historical details were well incorporated and helped bring the world of the novel to life. The medical elements and exploration of daily life aboard the ship were particularly interesting additions.

The present-day storyline was not as engaging for me as the historical sections. While it helped connect the archaeology to the events of the past, I found myself more invested in the historical characters and their experiences.

Overall, Daughters of the Wreckage is a well-researched and immersive historical novel. The strong historical setting, multiple viewpoints, and exploration of a fascinating real-world event make it a worthwhile read for fans of historical fiction and dual-timeline stories.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for providing an advance copy.

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews]

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Content warnings provided by the reviewers on Storygraph:

Graphic – Violence, Murder
Moderate – Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Grief
On the one hand, some of those content warnings are things I’m not crazy about when I’m reading. However, this historical novel is also the kind of fiction I like. Uncovering the untold stories of women and their personal crisis draws me in every time. I’m also always a sucker for a dual timeline novel.

There are three main points-of-view in this story. Tess, Aris, and Saskia. As usually happens when reading dual timelines, I have a tendency to favor one story over another. Since the historical context is the main reason I pick up novels, I definitely felt more pull to Aris and Saskia. Tess’s story was just okay.

I did find the story of the Batavia (based on a true event in history) interesting enough to do some independent research into the subject. My main problem with the book, as mentioned earlier, is the graphic content. Stuff can be implied so you know how brutal something is; I really didn’t need so much graphic content on the page.

The audiobook was narrated by Kristy Best, Jessica Spies, and Angus McGruther. They did an admirable job with what they had to work with. It was hard to listen to at times.

[Katie]

This story was heartbreaking and beautiful in equal measure. Haunting and deeply human, it finds these incredible moments of connection and resilience in the darkest corners of history.

Told across dual timelines, it connects modern-day Tess with an ancestor aboard the Batavia, which was shipwrecked on the Abrolhos Islands while sailing to the East Indies. As Tess pieces together her father’s research and the mystery of a family heirloom, the haunting truth of what happened after the wreck slowly unfolds.

Knowing this was inspired by true events made it hit even harder. Stefanie Koens captures the horror of what these people endured while still finding these beautiful moments of humanity, resilience, and connection, especially between women.

If you love historical fiction but want a setting and story that feels completely different, pick this one up. I cannot wait to see what Cohen writes next. Also, extremely good on audio.

Thank you so much to the author, Thomas Nelson Fiction and LibroFM for advanced copies of this book in exchange for an honest review. I cannot wait to see what this author writes next.

[Joseandbooks]

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

I picked this up not knowing much about the Batavia shipwreck, and now I want to read everything I can about it. That’s always a sign that a historical fiction novel did its job.

The historical timeline was easily my favorite. It was tense, emotional, and sometimes difficult to read because of everything the characters endured. While I liked the present-day storyline, I found myself much more invested whenever the story shifted back to the past.

The audiobook was well done, and the full cast helped make the dual timelines easy to follow. Each narrator brought something different to the story, which made the emotional moments hit even harder.

The pacing was a little slow in the beginning, but once the story found its rhythm, I was hooked. If you enjoy historical fiction with real-life inspiration and emotional depth, this one is worth checking out.

[Caroline]

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for my audio ARC of

It is always a treat to learn something new. Going in, I had no idea about this piece of Dutch/Australian history. And what a tragic, but probably not uncommon, event to have happened. The dual timelines were woven with care and I found myself equally engrossed in both.

A well-thought-out debut novel for this author. While the writing at times is a bit sluggish, overall I felt there was good momentum, especially at the end. The faith aspect and the love story were sweet and not too heavy-handed. (Although, how quickly the attraction bit came about did have me scratching my head a little bit.)

It’s been a while since I read a true historical fiction and this one absolutely scratch the itch.

The trio of narrators were well done and I very much enjoyed all the different accents. No notes on post production.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

[Karen B]

A beautifully written story that collides the past with the present, that reveals secrets and provides answers, that showcases characters that are emotional and driven and strong. Tess researches the maritime disaster of the Batavia shipwreck to find answers that are slowly revealed through the past timeline viewpoints of passengers Saskia and crew member, Aris. I was intrigued with the characters, the disaster, and how the two were connected.
I enjoyed the audiobook as well, volleying between my eyes and ears for reading. The performances by narrators Kristy Best, Jessica Spies, and Angus McGruther were fitting to their respective characters and personalities, their accents authentic and easy to listen to.
Thanks to Uplit Rads and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the eARC and ALC

[Linda]

The narrators did a great job with this book. They each kept their part perfect.

While I did enjoy the narrators the actual story was just not for me. I usually love this type of book but this one seems more Christian fiction and I just don’t like that genre.

The author wrote a good story. Kept their two timelines at a good pace and made each character feel realistic. I can’t find any fault with her writing at all. It’s just me. I didn’t enjoy this one near as much as I thought I would.

If you like historical and Christian fiction based on real events, then you will love this one.

Thank you to the publisher, the author, and uplit books for the arcs.

3 stars.

[Courtney Pityer]

ou are looking for a dual timeline story that will bring some excitement to your reading world then I would highly recommend checking out this book! I have to say that it was a very interesting tale of someone from the modern period trying to uncover a mystery of something that happened hundreds of years ago. Overall if you are someone who enjoys these hardworking and adventurous tales then this is definitely the book for you. I for one definitely enjoyed the plot and was super impressed with how far the characters were willing to go in order to achieve what they truly wanted.

[Karyn M]

2.5 / Historical fiction based on real life events can be hit or miss for me. I listened to the audiobook, and maybe it would have been more of a hit if I had read the book.

I found this subject matter interesting, albeit a rather tragic and detailed recount of early European exploration off the west coast of Australia. I was intrigued enough after finishing, that and I delved into more of Batavia’s history.

Like many others, I felt it did not need the dual timelines, and agree it would have been better as a single time period. Tess came across as very one-dimensional and juvenile, which irritated me. Maybe it was the way it was read, but to be honest, I wished her whole very basic romance and lacklustre self-discovery storyline was left out. Unfortunately, I felt all of the narration was way too cloying.

2.5 ⭐️ Audiobook read by Kristy Best, Jessica Spies and Angus McGruther

[Faith]

A dual timeline novel that digs into the history of the 1628 tragedy of the Batavia mutiny and wreck.

A slow-moving novel, that started to pick up at the halfway point. The story follows Saskia, Aris, and then Tess in the present day. Tess is an English teacher who takes time off after the death of her father to finish his last work. She spends time on the dig site and draws close to one of her guides, Drew. Saskia is travelling with her aunt and cousin for Batavia to meet up with her uncle, while Aris is the talent young under surgeon aboard the ship.

This was a slow and difficult read for me, there wasn't much character interaction between Saskia and Aris until quite a ways into the book. The modern-day thread following Tess didn't really catch my attention, as it was pretty slow moving and I wasn't sold on the romance between Tess and Drew. It was nice getting to know the characters, and I liked the gritty realistic nature of the recounting of the event and faith journey. The second half of the book was quite gruesome, and sad, while things were not happening explicitly on page, it was talked about and we had an idea of what was happening and the horrors being faced.

In the end, it was interesting to learn about a historical even that I had known very little about prior to reading this book, and it inspired me to look into it more on my own. I appreciated Saskia's faith and her friendship with Lucretia. But it was a hard read. Sad. Tragic. Horrible. Slow in the first half of the book and in Tess's parts of the story. This was just not a book that fit my personal tastes, and that happens sometimes.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.