Out Front the Following Sea by Leah Angstman immerses readers in early Colonial America, a world in which independent, intelligent, free-thinking women like Ruth Miner are considered odd and, at worst, dangerous enough to kill. In New England in 1689, Ruth is accused of witchcraft after her parents are killed in a fire and, to escape death, she flees to Stonington, Connecticut on board the ship Primrose. Her childhood friend Owen is a sailor on the Primrose and one of the only people who believe her innocence. But, Owen is an outcast himself, whose French ancestry and friendship with the Pequot people cast him under suspicion as well. Amidst threats of violence, war, and exile, Owen and Ruth share a spark of romance. Out Front the Following Sea is historically vivid-- so much so that the salty 17th-century dialogue may take a few pages to get used to--but features a strong heroine that modern readers can root for.