This was excellent--think Ocean's Eight but make it science fiction with a queer and BIPOC cast. I definitely recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto is an adventurous and action-packed sci-fi debut that combines the chaotic thrills of a heist with heartfelt themes of redemption, all set in a futuristic, cyberpunk-infused version of Hawai’i. The novel centers around Edie, an ex-convict who has spent eight years in a frigid prison planet after being betrayed by her partner, Angel, during what was supposed to be their biggest score. Now, unexpectedly paroled, Edie is confronted by Angel once again, who offers her one last job—a chance to settle old scores by taking down the same trillionaire they failed to defeat before.

The novel masterfully blends elements of *Ocean’s 8* and *Blade Runner*, creating a fast-paced, visually striking narrative full of neon skylines and underworld intrigue. It touches on themes of trust, betrayal, and second chances, while also being a tribute to Hawai’i’s culture and the idea of building a new home. The story’s emotional depth is punctuated by its romantic undertones, with Edie wrestling with her feelings toward Angel as they navigate their latest (and riskiest) mission.

For fans of thrilling heist stories, rich world-building, and LGBTQIA+ representation, Hammajang Luck offers a swashbuckling adventure with a personal twist. It will appeal to readers of *Gideon the Ninth* and *Six of Crows* for its unique mix of action, emotional complexity, and sharp dialogue.

I unfortunately DNFed this book - I had a hard time connecting to the plot, but it’s probably a matter of personal preference. The characters were really interesting!

*spoiler alert*

This book did exactly as promised, but the end was too sickly sweet. I enjoyed the characters and the creation of the heist. The heist happened in a blink of an eye, which I found odd, for so much build-up. There were too many characters for a ton of depth, but it was a fun ride. There were twists, but downfalls, not sly heist twists, which made it feel less slick than any Oceans film. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes heist books or wants a good story with a queer cast. Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

With thanks to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC!

This was one of my highly anticipated reads this year and it did not disappoint! I adored Hammajang Luck so much, and I’m so glad I got the chance to read it.

The world building in this was excellent. The way Kepler was described felt very real. I loved the mentions of the flyers, the wards. Everything felt natural and Sci-Fi all at once.

I loved our characters. Edie adored their family, their sister, the kids. There’s a real sense of family throughout this whole book, including found family in a way, and I loved the scenes with Edie and their sister. They felt very natural. And of course, Angel and Edie’s relationship was just the cherry on top.

I highly recommend this to people who love heists and Sci-Fi, especially those who love the TV show Leverage. This definitely felt like an episode of Leverage in space and I am thoroughly delighted by that.

A queer, cyberpunk, heist book? Sign me UP.

Hammanjang Luck is a captivating story of fate, family, and resilience set in a vibrant and fun setting, cyber punk meet’s Ocean’s 8 in a Hawaiian town. Our protagonist is Edie (they/them), has just been released from prison after being sold out by their childhood friend Angel. Edie now needs to work together with Angel to plan a heist, and work through complicated feelings of love and betrayal in the process.

Edie’s journey is both relatable and inspiring, as they navigate personal struggles and the weight of familial expectations. The themes of luck and destiny resonate throughout the narrative, prompting us to reflect on how much control we truly have over our lives.

To me, what set this novel apart is Yamamoto's ability to infuse humor and warmth into moments of hardship, creating a balance that really reflects the human experience. The setting is unreal, and fascinating.

It's a space heist, it's queer, it's cyberpunk, it's misfits, it's chaos.
If these things are up your alley, then you'll enjoy this book and you'll probably devour it in a day or two.
The book is light on the sci-fi, but heavy on the fun and also bittersweet at times.

You'll end up liking our rag tag found family, and the enemies-to-lovers is very enjoyable.

There's good representation as far as I can tell, and Edie and Angel are really interesting and enjoyable characters.

Overall it's everything my first sentence states it is, which makes it a rather quick and very enjoyable read without being too deep.

4/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollins for the eARC!

#HammajangLuck #Netgalley #Bookstagram

When I found this book and saw a mention of Ocean’s 8, Gideon the Ninth, and Six of Crows I had to read it! As a fan of sapphic literature and heist movies I was super intrigued. But I don’t think it lived up to the comparisons of Muir’s Gideon the Ninth or Bardugo’s Six of Crows, while yes there will be an overlap between the fans of those novels I wouldn’t say it’s an apt comparison. There’s a distinct lack of character development and complex world building that would be expected with a comparison to those novels.

Hammajang Luck follows the more formulaic aspects of the heist genre but there was nothing within the characters themselves that stood out to make this more than an above average heist novel.

While the characterization and overall arcs of the characters were underdeveloped it was a breath of fresh air to see a diverse range of sapphic, trans, and non-binary characters existing. You can tell that there was a lot of love and passion put into the novel and put into the characters. Unfortunately, because there was such a large cast of characters and they fit into specific roles within the heist genre (mastermind, hacker, distraction, the rich Elon Musk-esque tech villain etc.) There wasn’t necessarily enough substance to them, which was unfortunate.

I loved the way butch identities were included and how they often subverted the expectation of butch characters. Seeing Edie, Duke, and Cy interact, play different roles in the heist, and simply just exist was fantastic.

Another really strong point was the discussions of class and socioeconomics. I absolutely loved the incorporation of Hawaiian Pidgin throughout the novel and Edie’s family ability to maintain cultural ties despite gentrification. I wish the world building had been stronger, I would’ve loved to know more about the world of Kepler and the crews life in the wards outside of small bits and pieces.

Angel and Edie’s relationship went literally from 0-100, like no real development at all both of their characters and relationship. It was quite obvious the direction they were going in but there just wasn’t enough substance or introspection to warrant it. If this was a fanfic it would work fine, but it’s not and I just wished there was more substance to their relationship besides “childhood friends turned enemies to having sex after a pre-heist mission.” It felt trope-y and fell flat of expectations. There such a great premise with the act of Angel’s betrayal of Edie and yet there’s barely any substantial development of how it really effects them just snippets of thoughts and conversations before they pine after each other. All moments of emotional and character depth kinda just stop before they can become something more.

The plot dragged in my opinion, there was so much build up to the heist but really not a lot of heist action going on.

Overall, Hammajang Luck was an enjoyable novel that beautifully incorporated diverse identities and class backgrounds. It didn’t reinvent the heist genre, but I don’t necessarily think it had to or was supposed to. It was a fun read that I would recommend to anyone that’s a fan of sapphic SFF and heists. It has its flaws but it also has some beautiful moments.

There was a lot I liked about this- a fun premise, a great setting and world. But overall I was never pulled in the way I wanted to be. I found myself a bit bored as I was not fully engaged with any of the characters.

Comparisons to Blade Runner, Gideon the Ninth, and Six of Crows put A LOT of pressure on a debut, so I prefer thinking of this as a fun mix between Cyberpunk 2077 and Mirror's Edge. It's set in a dystopian cyberpunk society in space (the space part isn't really a big deal minus an airlock part to the heist). A band of largely queer Street Kids are recruited to steal data from an evil Corpo villain. I did love that the acrobat character (grease man? was that the term from Ocean's Twelve?) was a former gymnast/current stripper, heck yeahhhh

I loved the relationship between the MC Edie and their sister. That was the strongest part of the book to me. Edie and Angel's romance though... I wasn't a huge fan and I blame Angel. Angel starts off as a cold Corpo bitch, Edie's ex-bff who betrayed them in events before the book starts, and then suddenly she thaws toward the end of the heist. BAM the two are in love and all is forgiven. idk...I didn't like Angel before then and I didn't like her after. It would take A LOT for me to forgive someone if they were the sole reason I went to prison for 8 years. Maybe I would've liked Angel more if we had a couple chapters from her POV. As it is, I'm putting a political sign that says EDIE MORIKAWA DESERVES BETTER 2024 on my imaginary front lawn.

The heist was fun! Could've been longer for The Drama, and there was sort of a deux ex machina bit, but still, fun! I did think the crew could've been fleshed out more (though I feel this way about most heist plots I consume), Duke and Nakano in particular. I personally don't see the two of them sticking around after the heist and think they'll just live the dream as ungodly rich lesbians in love vacationing through space. actually can I read that epilogue

I think maybe my main issue is that I wanted a longer book. More worldbuilding that way, more Evil Corpo Loser Joyce Atlas being an Evil Corpo Loser, more character/relationship development, more heist shenanigans. But still, this was a fun quick read with a happy ending. Mild spoiler: there's no child cancer death, so don't worry about that character! I was worrying hard

This book is an extremely queer heist standalone novel steeped with Hawaiian culture and light sci-fi elements and I loved every second it.

The heist was a well planned multi-step heist and the stakes always felt high. The main character, Edie is a lovable and interesting character who just got out of prison and wants to help their sister, who is a struggling single mother with a daughter who has cancer by doing one last heist with their ex-best friend Angel. I loved the familial elements between Edie and their sister and niece and nephew and all drama and growth between Edie and Angel as we learn more about Angel and her motivations behind the heist and for her past betrayal of Edie. The cast of characters for the heist are also very fun and interesting and I loved the romance and ending.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a queer heist novel. I does not disappoint.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read and review this book early.

I stayed up late devouring this book. This is the snarky lesbian space heist of your dreams -- think Gideon the Ninth meets Ocean's Eleven. Full of action but also pathos, and so authentically voicey and fresh that you'll find yourself CHEE HOOOO-ing while scarfing down a plate of musubi. Absolutely fantastic, assured, thrilling debut -- will read everything Yamamoto writes after this.

One of my most highly anticipated upcoming releases–lesbian con artists doing a heist in space!--HAMMAJANG LUCK was enjoyable but ultimately fell short of my expectations in terms of world-building, plot, and romance.

Heist movies are my guilty pleasure. The Ocean’s franchise, The Italian Job, Charlie’s Angels, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.--I have watched these all multiple times. They are a perfect escapist genre for me: self-aware absurdity combined with impressive, intricately woven plots. For the first half or so of HAMMAJANG LUCK, I was able to look past its weaknesses and enjoy my reading experience. HAMMAJANG LUCK’s plot really isn’t new, but it was hitting the beats of a heist story right for me: the slow bringing together of a motley crew, the pre-heist lifts, the stern but brilliant mastermind (Angel) and their chaotic second (Edie). Beat for beat, HAMMAJANG LUCK reminded me of the Ocean’s movies, and that was great.

But then my attention and interest started to flag, and I was forced to reckon with the book’s biggest weakness: its minimal world-building. The story ostensibly takes place on a giant space station (?), Kepler. I know vaguely that Kepler consists of Wards on varying levels catering to people of different socioeconomic means, with differences in light and air quality, services, shops, etc. But I don’t see any of that in the book. I had to make a concerted effort to remind myself that this book supposedly takes place in outer space… because, honestly, it reads like it could just be happening on Earth.

We don’t get a good sense of how life on a space station is different. The characters in HAMMAJANG LUCK act, talk, and go about their daily routines like they’re living on Earth. They take showers (in normal bathrooms?), they eat off tables, they go to parks with their families. I wanted to get a better feel for the world. What does it look like to walk down a street in their ward? What can you see when you look up at a view supposedly blocked by the other, more well-off wards?

Even the heist itself doesn’t read like it has fully reckoned with the implications of committing a heist of that magnitude on a space station. The most it seemed to have been considered was when Edie was informing others how they needed to blow up a wall carefully because they didn’t want to risk depressurizing the area in which they’re in. Um, okay. No big deal, right?

Maybe some of this could have been explained by the fact that the story is set a mere century into our future? (In the 2100s.) But it’s the little things. Like how time is still told in 24-hour increments. Or how the monetary system (“credits”) seems like just a cut-and-paste job for “US dollars.” Or how their comms system is no better–and, one can argue, worse–than our current phones.

Now let’s talk about the characters. I liked the representation of lesbian, nonbinary, and trans characters. I liked the diversity. I LOVED the Hawaiian Pidgin (and wouldn’t have minded a whole book written in the language!). But… most of the secondary characters are mere sketches and archetypes. The immature and brash computer geek. The long-suffering but noble sister/mother. The Elon Musk-coded evil trillionaire who believes it’s his god-given right to have anything and anyone he wants. Even Edie and Angel read familiar: Edie the gruff, mouthy, but golden-hearted butch, Angel the beautiful and intelligent ice queen.

And finally, the romance. Going from 0 (constant snipes and glares) to 60 (sex) in the span of a few pages, AND we find out that they’ve been pining for one another for 20+ years? I wasn’t convinced. There was no character development to get them to that point, merely the setting aside of long-held misbeliefs about one another.

HAMMAJANG LUCK’s marketing suggests that it’s good for fans of Tamsyn Muir. It’s not. It doesn’t have the ingenuity, the impressiveness of the Locked Tomb series, the sense that you’ve stumbled across some genius artist with words. Instead, treat HAMMAJANG LUCK as a fast-paced escapist read along the lines of Yume Kitasei, Ryka Aoki, and Becky Chambers, and you’ll be more able to forgive its weaknesses and enjoy the ride.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for a review.
Hammajang Luck is a queer, cyberpunk, heist adventure with high stakes and memorable characters.
I thoroughly enjoyed the character writing. The strength of the story was in the distinct personalities of the characters and their relationship building. I was a fan of the inclusion of Hawaiian Pidgin.
I’d have loved to see more world building but overall had a delightful time joining these characters on their high risk heist!

This is a wonderful YA Science Fiction book and a unique one at that. It's written in an approachable manner but has important elements like code switching that would be great for studying in classrooms.

The protagonist is likable, smart, witty, and I felt I bonded with them.

I really enjoyed all of the tech references, as well as the creativity that this artwork of a book is.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this!

save me indigenous butchfemme heist criminal toxic yuri.. save me indigenous butch main character…. save me horny sapphic scenes in genre fiction…

To be honest, I'm a bit torn. There were some things about this book that worked so, so very well. For starters, Edie's relationship with her family was really something special. Especially their relationship with their older sister. There's a particular moment where Edie's older sister is confiding in them about how difficult things have been and currently are and it just punched me right in the gut. I also loved the casual and diverse representation. What I especially loved was seeing the author's culture reflected in both Edie and the main areas of the story. Some of the characters talk exclusively in Hawaiian Pidgin. It just added an extra level to the story and felt really comforting to read.

On the other hand, the main romance didn't quite work for me. I felt like the rift between Angel and Edie was just... not resolved in a satisfactory way. The author certainly tried, but they didn't quite hit the mark. I think it's because Angel starts off so standoffish and cold for, seemingly, no reason. Also, Angel's reasons for doing what she did to Edie didn't quite make sense. I think I would've appreciated more if we'd gotten a few backstory moments between Angel and Edie to really hit how their relationship could've turned out the way it did. Also, some of the other characters felt very surface-level. And, since the author really tries to sell that everyone in this heist ends up becoming a found family, I expected a lot more?

As for the heist, I feel like it's really difficult to do a heist novel, especially as your debut. There's been so many different iterations that it's quite difficult to do something out of the box and unique. I think, while the sci-fi setting adds a bit, it doesn't quite do enough. The Big Bad is almost cartoonishly bad and things wrap up a bit too cleanly?

Honestly, I almost wish this were a dual-POV between Edie and Angel. I think that would have added so much more to the story and both fleshed out the world and Angel's motivations. Plus, it would've given Angel a bit more agency than she actually seemed to have.

Overall, this definitely wasn't bad. There was a lot to like about it, but it just really fell short in a lot of other aspects for me. I think the author shows a lot of promise, though, and I'm interested in seeing what else they decide to write in the future.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto is a first person POV Queer sci-fi thriller centered around a heist. Edie has recently been released from prison after eight years behind bars. Their old childhood friend, Angel, contacts Edie and asks for Edie’s help to rob one of the richest men in the galaxy, Joyce Atlas, for more than enough money to improve the lives of Edie and their sister’s family. But Edie is going to have to work with Angel and there’s a lot of unresolved things there, including Angel’s betrayal that led to Edie going to jail in the first place.

One of the things I liked was how casually Queerness is discussed and the ways in which it is. It’s certainly not he first book I’ve read that normalizes Queerness, but this is the first book I’ve read in while that specifically draws attention to butches and femmes. Edie uses Mx. but is called ‘Aunty’ by their niece and nephew, Edie mentions that their current binder doesn’t fit properly anymore so they won’t wear it and Duke, one of the members of the heist crew, discusses their transition a bit.

Another really cool thing was the use of Hawaiian Pidgin throughout the book. It goes beyond a word or two every couple pages and is a large chunk of the dialogue between the heist crew or Edie and their family. The crew is aware that Pidgin is looked down on and one member even asks if they should ‘speak properly’ during the mission, but that gets rejected. I was somewhat familiar with Pidgin before, but hadn’t had a lot of exposure to it so seeing it come up again and again in a way that felt very natural and authentic was a very cool experience that added to the world and the main characters and how Hawaiian culture has continued into the future and beyond Earth.

My favorite relationship was Edie and Angel’s. Edie has very complicated feelings around Angel, not only due to the betrayal, but also how Angel has always been part of Edie’s life and there’s been something romantic bubbling under the surface but they’ve never crossed the line into exploring those feelings before. The tension between them is layered and multi-faceted and I loved seeing each part explored for Edie and Angel to dance around each other until they finally started opening up.

I would recommend this to fans of Queer sci-fi who also like heist novels, readers looking for a sci-fi with a non-binary lead, and those who love a sci-fi thriller

I think the comp titles for this book made my standards a bit too high, especially because the novel missed what I think made the books they were compared to so good. (the books in question are six of crows and gideon the ninth, some of my favorites of all time). However, I think this book was pretty good, but happened to fall short in some ways. There was too much buildup to the heist and not enough actual heisting, and the dynamics weren’t built up that well. Not to mention one of the scenes that was meant to be emotionally impactful literally lost any of the impact that it could have had by the end of the chapter.

When Edie is unexpectedly released from prison thanks to the woman who betrayed them, they struggle to find a job supporting their family. With a pregnant sister and a sick niece, they know they can’t afford to fall back into their old ways of crime but money is tight and no place will hire them. As Angel, their childhood friend and the woman who puts them into prison, waltzes back into their life with the heist plan of a lifetime, Edie must reconsider their promise to their sister. Together they must recruit a team without their past personal issues getting in the way of the plan. What started as a plan to rob a powerful trillionaire soon exposes uncomfortable secrets.

Ocean's 8 is one of my comfort movies. To me, who doesn’t usually consume heist media a lot of tropes of the genre and ideas felt fresh and genuinely appealing. My interest in anything centering on a heist is often limited because there’s only so much twist you can put in this genre. I won’t lie Hammajang Luck remains formulaic in this aspect but innovates in many others. Hammajang Luck, as it is aptly comped, is cyberpunk Ocean's 8 with a crew of Asian and Pacific Islanders trans, nonbinary, butch, and femme lesbians and I couldn’t put it down.

One of my fears was how the book would balance the three pillars of Edie’s interest: their familial life, the heist and its cast, and their romance with Angel. It’s easy to neglect one but as they tied back into each other (Angel is an old family friend of Edie, Edie is doing the heist for their family, Angel and Edie constantly work together for the heist, you see the idea). Edie’s care and love for their family is a highlight of this book for me and I believe will be for other reviewers. Edie’s sister Andie is a constant presence that I grew to care about. Their family hasn’t forgotten the Old Earth Hawaiian customs and ways of living.

As a character, Edie has a small arc (I did feel that their character took a back seat to the three pillars I mentioned earlier) about their need for belonging and finding a place (and people I assume). However, the power of telling a butch lesbian who spends the book convinced they must sacrifice themself for everyone, for their family, that they are loved, that they are wanted and will not be left behind, that everyone would rather they be safe and alive than sacrificed is just too powerful. Subversion of the butch martyr.

Now, is the romance with Angel a bit toxic? The twist of why Angel did what she did is predictable, anyone familiar with genre romances could tell who is behind the medical fund, etc. But we’re not the protagonist and we’re witnessing it through Edie’s lens. I enjoy the tension, the messiness, the years of yearning and pain and reconnecting. So much to unravel there.

Also I really loved the side cast? They have a small role (Duke and Nakano forever) but each is given at least a small spotlight role once in the book.

As a lover of butch SFF (Gideon the Ninth, The Unbroken, this year’s Metal from Heaven), I always look at the way butch identity is written and incorporated in fantasy and science-fiction settings. What is kept and what is added, what are the norms to defy, the paladin or the scholar, the rebel or the cop? Hammajang Luck is very influenced by old-school (working class) butch/femme lesbian bar culture. If you have read Stone Butch Blues, you’ll know what I mean. Edie (they/them), Cy (he/him), and Duke (she/her) are clearly identified as butches in the text (the word is used thanks to the privileges of sci-fi over fantasy). Cy and Edie are long-time friends and have this familiar best-friend dynamic (also denoted by language as Edie is more comfortable falling back into what I think is Hawaiian Pidgin around him than other characters). In contrast, Duke is a newcomer with a different experience and yet forms this butch camaraderie with Edie, giving them advice, teasing them, and playfully fighting with them. I want to highlight those butch friendships and maybe mentorships (as well as different forms of butch expression) that are so rare in media and yet are one of the backbones of Stone Butch Blues.

There’s a specific line right after we meet one of the crew members, Sara saying that butches like Edie and Cy ended up in warehouses and docks as opposed to femmes like Angel and Sara worked in clip joints and street corners, all trying to survive in their own ways. While the cyberpunk elements are light in this book (or rather start being slightly more prominent towards the end of the book), the genre can only really be engaged with from a working-class perspective and I find the added perspective of the recognizable available jobs the world gives to you for how you present to be really interesting.

Transness is also a strong undercurrent of the book: Edie and Cy are nonbinary (specifically referred as Māhū in text) and have sought or are seeking a form of transitioning during the story whereas Nakano is a trans femme woman and Duke’s partner.

Lastly, I want to reflect on this trope of pairing a darker-skinned butch (often reduced to a himbo, golden retriever, a brainless jock, sometimes perceived as more aggressive) with a smart paler-skinned femme. I don't think it's fully my place to speak on it (and also I don’t want to ignore the nuance of who is writing those stories, reflecting their own lived experiences and the people in their lives) but I find Edie to subvert this trope in many ways: as the main character and narrator, they have a depth that is not often offered to butch characters outside of their role as a sex object/eye candy/bodyguard, then it’s shown again and again that Edie is quick on their feet, have a deep knowledge of the station which makes them the best runner, is a leader that people trust and can take quick decisions as well as good and reading people and a smart player (the poker game)