Book Review: Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto 4.5/5 stars

  I FINALLY  got the audiobook copy of Hammajang Luck from the library!

 Honestly, I am a wee bit salty about this one, because I requested it on NetGalley  as an ARC, but got no response from the publisher.  Usually, I get acceptance or rejection pretty fast, but in this case it just sat there in requests until I finally withdrew the request.  I may have requested it too close to the release date, but still.... I really wanted to read it, so thankfully the library came through. Whoo Hoo Libraries! 

The cover is... well, I LOVE it. 

This is a heist novel with a side plot of "relationship" it features  a F/NB relationship; lesbian main character; trans main character; BIPOC main character; lesbian side characters; trans side characters; and BIPOC side characters. Although set it space, it pays homage to Hawai'ian life with use of  traditional Pidgin (mix of Hawai'ian, English, Japanese, Portuguese, and Cantonese- and some other languages), and introduces some concepts of family that are somewhat unique to the Hawai'ian Islands. I did find myself forgetting all the time that it wasn't set in Honolulu. So if you are looking for hard Sci-Fi world building- this likely isn't your novel.  

We follow Edie as they are unexpectedly released from space prison, by a person for whom she definitely has mixed feelings about. Edie is determined to not end up in prison again, but like many people released from prison, the cards are not in their favor. 

Edie is soon involved in a complex, sophisticated heist involving a team of players who are all testing and gauging the trustworthiness of the team. They are the best of the best, and it's a pleasure to read as they progress through all the steps of the heist.  Edie has to choose, almost every step of the way, between trusting someone who has not been the most trustworthy in the past,  or setting an entirely new path that seems to be also a bit of a "bad" choice. As I was reading I was consumed by the lack of options offered- so much like real life, even in this decidedly not real setting and situation!   I was on the edge of my seat as things went wrong and the team had to improvise! 

  I do not think I personally would make the choices made by Edie, and that really was something that I, as a reader, am not entirely used to, and it made me a little uncomfortable overall with the book- which I liked. I was challenged to think through things I hadn't and examine some family/friend relationships that I've had that were also challenging. I'm still kind of mulling all of that over. So, of course, that's a good book. 

    This is a great book  for discussion as there's a lot to talk about, not only does it highlight a cast of queer characters, but it also takes subtle jabs at capitalism, the US (I assume) Prison system, and even medical research as it is performed today. So, for the right book club this could be a winner.

I read this audio book in 4 days!  This is record for me, I just kept checking in on what was going to happen next!  So, for me, the book was highly readable, and easy to make my way through.    Jolene Kim did the narration, and I thought it was perfect.  I really enjoyed the way she voiced all of the Hawai'ian Creole, as I'm sure I wouldn't have gotten the cadence of the language as well if I had been reading it off a page.  It enhanced my enjoyment of the entire book.

Is Hammajang Luck on your To-Be-Read list, or have you already finished it?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments!