Daughters of the Wreckage by Stefanie Koens: REVIEW

In Stefanie Koens’ Daughters of the Wreckage, a shipwreck, mutiny, survival, and secrets bring together the stories of several women across generations.

I received this ALC (advanced listener copy) from Thomas Nelson Fiction Audio and Harper Audio in exchange for my honest review. A big thank you to Stefanie Koens, Thomas Nelson Fiction Audio, Harper Audio and NetGalley for sharing this one with me. This book comes out tomorrow, Sep. 15! 

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

My thoughts on Daughters of the Wreckage:

This was a brutal story. Shipwrecks, mutinies, people fighting to survive… If you’re looking for a relaxing little historical fiction read, maybe don’t bring this one to the beach. Or on a boat.

What I found really interesting was learning at the very end that the story was inspired by real events, even though the author took some fictional liberties with the story and characters (as she had every right to do). That definitely made me look at everything I had just listened to a little differently.

I also really enjoyed how the women's stories eventually connected. There’s something so satisfying about getting to the end of a story like this and realizing that all those little pieces I’ve been collecting actually fit together. The connection between Saskia, Tabitha, and Tessa, and the pendant that helps tie everything together, was well done.

This wasn’t necessarily a book where I completely fell in love with the characters or became totally consumed by the story, but I did think it was an interesting and memorable piece of historical fiction.

Question of the day:

Do you enjoy historical fiction based on real events, or do you prefer your historical fiction to be completely fictional?