Book Review: Out Front the Following Sea

Out Front the Following Sea by Leah Angstman 📱

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5 Star Rating

The Summary;

Out Front the Following Sea is a historical epic of one woman’s survival in a time when the wilderness is still wild, heresy is publicly punishable, and being independent is worse than scorned — it is a death sentence. At the onset of King William’s War between French and English settlers in 1689 New England, Ruth Miner is accused of witchcraft for the murder of her parents and must flee the brutality of her town. She stows away on the ship of the only other person who knows her innocence: an audacious sailor — Owen — bound to her by years of attraction, friendship, and shared secrets. But when Owen’s French ancestry finds him at odds with a violent English commander, the turmoil becomes life-or-death for the sailor, the headstrong Ruth, and the cast of Quakers, Pequot Indians, soldiers, highwaymen, and townsfolk dragged into the fray. Now Ruth must choose between sending Owen to the gallows or keeping her own neck from the noose.
Steeped in historical events and culminating in a little-known war on pre-American soil, Out Front the Following Sea is a story of early feminism, misogyny, arbitrary rulings, and the treatment of outcasts, with parallels still mirrored and echoed in today’s society.

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Wow! 

Leah Angstman has penned one of the most gripping historical fiction novels of 2022 with Out Front the Following Sea.  This is a story of perseverance in the face of a myriad of hardships: death, ridicule, loneliness, and the unfortunate fate of being born a woman in 17th Century America - just to name a few.  Ruth Miner’s colonial world comes to life on the page as it is full of both adventure and heartache.  I laughed and I cried - I gasped and raged for a couple of chapters - then I cried some more.  

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Thank you, Leah Angstman for not only writing such an incredible book, but also sharing in the Author’s Note some interesting facts about the Pequot language and culture. I loved everything about Out Front the Following Sea (including that stunning cover that I could gush about for days) and plan to purchase a hardcover copy for my bookshelf.  It’s always such a rare treat to be blown away by an author’s debut novel and it makes me excited for what is to come. 

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Thank you to the author along with BookSirens and Regal House Publishing for a free digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.