#pidginbanter

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Hammajang but Still Holding It Together

“How come ‘one last job’ never actually means that?”

I finally got around to reading Hammajang Luck, and I was hella excited going in. A sci fi heist set on the planet Kepler, starring a mostly queer, nonbinary, and trans crew? 😍👏🏾 Say less. I was already juiced to read this.

I borrowed both the book and the audiobook from my library (you know I don’t play). The crew? Hella fun. I found family energy all day. These characters go from side-eyeing each other to risking their lives for each other hit in the best way. And the Pidgin banter? Loved. It made me smile every time I heard it through the audiobook. How they talked, teased, and schemed together gave hella Hawai‘i, even if the setting was on another planet.

TBH, that’s what made this book feel so personal. My boyfriend is Asian, trans, and from O‘ahu, and we visit every year. So, seeing Hawaiian culture front and center, the dialect, the local humor, the value of family, and the crew's rhythm, it hit differently. This wasn’t just a futuristic sci-fi book with a heist front and center. It was relatable. It felt real. 😍

And let’s talk about Angel and Edie. Ex-childhood friends, who haven’t spoken since their last heist, went sideways, and Angel betrayed Edie, sending her to jail? 😭😂 Yeah. I was locked in. Their dynamic was cold, bitter, and awkward… and slowly started softening again when they had no choice but to work together on a second job. They didn’t even begin to fall in love until way later, but when they did? I was holding my breath. Quiet pining. Shared history. The tension. I ate that alllll up. 

That said, the world building? Definitely a bit hammajang. Kepler sounded cool, but there were moments I was straight up confused about what was happening or the machinery of this planet. . Still, it didn’t stop me from finishing. The crew, the voice, the energy 🫶🏾 that’s what kept me going.

This book was queer, gritty, fast-paced, and full of heart. The heists were chaotic, the dialogue was sharp, and the romance was a slow burn with teeth. I hella hope there’s a part two. I’m not ready to leave this crew behind. 😍😍😍