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The Obake Code
Not yet published
Expected 19 Feb 26How do you follow the greatest crime of all time?
It's been three years since the Atlas heist. Malia, aka the Obake, the greatest hacker of all time, was set for life. But being set for life turns out to be pretty boring.
But when her new hobby of rigging underground fights lands her in trouble with one of the most dangerous gangs on Kepler Space Station, she's offered a take down the corrupt politician interfering with the gang's business, or it's the end of the road for Malia.
Hastily assembling her own crew, it should be easy after the impossible heist of Atlas Industries. But this time the person she's working for is just as bad as the person she's taking down, and there are darker things lurking in the shadows.
Things tied to Malia's past. Things that could decide her future.
It's been three years since the Atlas heist. Malia, aka the Obake, the greatest hacker of all time, was set for life. But being set for life turns out to be pretty boring.
But when her new hobby of rigging underground fights lands her in trouble with one of the most dangerous gangs on Kepler Space Station, she's offered a take down the corrupt politician interfering with the gang's business, or it's the end of the road for Malia.
Hastily assembling her own crew, it should be easy after the impossible heist of Atlas Industries. But this time the person she's working for is just as bad as the person she's taking down, and there are darker things lurking in the shadows.
Things tied to Malia's past. Things that could decide her future.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication February 10, 2026
8 people are currently reading
3084 people want to read
About the author
Makana Yamamoto
2 books167 followersMakana Yamamoto was born on the island of Maui. Splitting their time between the Mainland and Hawaiʻi, Makana grew up on beaches and in snowbanks. Always a scientist at heart, Makana fell in love with sci-fi as a teen–they even led the science fiction and fantasy interest house at their college. A writer from childhood, fiction became the perfect medium for them to explore their interests as well as reconnect with their culture, coalescing into a passion for diverse sci-fi. They love writing multicultural settings and queer characters, as well as imagining what the future might look like for historically marginalized communities. In their free time, Makana likes to hoard dice for their Dungeons & Dragons games, experiment in the kitchen, defeat bosses with their guildmates, and get way too invested in reality competition shows. They currently live on the East Coast with their wife and two cats.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
November 29, 2025
This is why I love giveaways and ARCs, I never would have picked a book like this to read, but I am so glad I had the chance to read it. This was like a sci-fi oceans eleven, with a queer cast, it was fabulous!
October 19, 2025
what happens when you’re kidnapped by a mad scientist to become his idea of perfection so he fits your brain with sci-fi modifications to make you the best hacker in the world but you run away and everything goes to shit?
first of all, I ADORED the rep in this book. you’ve got femme lesbians, they/them lesbians, trans lesbians, aro/ace characters. truly such a wide spread diverse book with voices from so many important communities <3
I really enjoyed this, it was super fast paced with an interesting plot and relatable characters. a futuristic cyber world where a damaged girl has to get together a crew to expose a dirty politician for an organised crime family, only to realise her modifications are killing her and she might not survive this sticking to the codes she always used to.
this was so fun, I find it difficult to get into sci-fi usually but that wasn’t the case here. found family, the chosen one (kind of) paired with diverse characters, important conversations around AI, technology and ethics- I highly recommend
first of all, I ADORED the rep in this book. you’ve got femme lesbians, they/them lesbians, trans lesbians, aro/ace characters. truly such a wide spread diverse book with voices from so many important communities <3
I really enjoyed this, it was super fast paced with an interesting plot and relatable characters. a futuristic cyber world where a damaged girl has to get together a crew to expose a dirty politician for an organised crime family, only to realise her modifications are killing her and she might not survive this sticking to the codes she always used to.
this was so fun, I find it difficult to get into sci-fi usually but that wasn’t the case here. found family, the chosen one (kind of) paired with diverse characters, important conversations around AI, technology and ethics- I highly recommend
December 12, 2025
I read Hammajang Luck and I loved the worldbuilding, the crime for good against corrupt billionaires, and the characters, although it fell just short for me because I didn't care for the romance. However I loved this author's writing, so I jumped at the chance to try their sophomore effort.
This is a stand-alone returning to Kepler Station three years after the Atlas heist, taking some of the side characters and giving them their own story. I don't think you need to read the first book to appreciate this one, but you might have more of an emotional connection to the world if you did.
This is a space opera from the golden age of space operas but with a fun, fast-paced plot and diverse characters. There are sapphics galore here; there were very few men and what few there were here were the villains. I loved how this took Hawaiian immigrants migrating to a space station and imagined what their culture would look like, and it kept a lot of the same wonderful flavor as the first book, using Hawaiian slang and lovely descriptions of food and family life.
Malia, however, is a loner, so that was an interesting take. A brilliant hacker, she lives by a code that exhorts her to be suspicious of everyone and to form no attachments. She had it made after the Atlas heist but got bored, so she started fixing fights and got caught by the gangster running them, who enlists her for one last heist. But this one is personal. Taking down the politician who took her from her parents and raised her, training her to become the perfect AI-human interface.
But her mods are degrading as Malia keeps glitching out, a fact I was confused that more of her friends didn't comment on. I found the interludes where her AI takes over to be kind of hard to read gibberish.
Malia gathers together her own crew and embarks on the biggest hack of her life.
One of my favorite parts of the book this time was her romance with Sol, the nonbinary pilot. I thought it was sweet and slow burn, and I was rooting for the two of them and their cute, supportive banter from the beginning.
At times, because Malia was so young and naive, this book read like YA, but overall I loved the characters. I also like it when characters have hobbies; Malia was a gamer and I enjoyed the side story with her guild as she learns who she is beyond a genetically engineered hacker. I enjoyed her journey of self discovery as she figures out who she is beyond the Obake. In many ways this is a new adult coming of age story.
Overall this was a very fun book. This author is one to watch.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is a stand-alone returning to Kepler Station three years after the Atlas heist, taking some of the side characters and giving them their own story. I don't think you need to read the first book to appreciate this one, but you might have more of an emotional connection to the world if you did.
This is a space opera from the golden age of space operas but with a fun, fast-paced plot and diverse characters. There are sapphics galore here; there were very few men and what few there were here were the villains. I loved how this took Hawaiian immigrants migrating to a space station and imagined what their culture would look like, and it kept a lot of the same wonderful flavor as the first book, using Hawaiian slang and lovely descriptions of food and family life.
Malia, however, is a loner, so that was an interesting take. A brilliant hacker, she lives by a code that exhorts her to be suspicious of everyone and to form no attachments. She had it made after the Atlas heist but got bored, so she started fixing fights and got caught by the gangster running them, who enlists her for one last heist. But this one is personal. Taking down the politician who took her from her parents and raised her, training her to become the perfect AI-human interface.
But her mods are degrading as Malia keeps glitching out, a fact I was confused that more of her friends didn't comment on. I found the interludes where her AI takes over to be kind of hard to read gibberish.
Malia gathers together her own crew and embarks on the biggest hack of her life.
One of my favorite parts of the book this time was her romance with Sol, the nonbinary pilot. I thought it was sweet and slow burn, and I was rooting for the two of them and their cute, supportive banter from the beginning.
At times, because Malia was so young and naive, this book read like YA, but overall I loved the characters. I also like it when characters have hobbies; Malia was a gamer and I enjoyed the side story with her guild as she learns who she is beyond a genetically engineered hacker. I enjoyed her journey of self discovery as she figures out who she is beyond the Obake. In many ways this is a new adult coming of age story.
Overall this was a very fun book. This author is one to watch.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 23, 2025
Man this took me a while to sit down and really get into (I was stuck around 20% for like two weeks) but once I did I really cruised through the rest of the book. It was giving Cyberpunk edgerunners vibes (without the death of all of the characters) in the best way.
If you enjoy a good morally grey character (doing illegal shit for the good of society) this is the one for you. Malia was such a good main character and her struggle with identity was super interesting to read about.
If you enjoy a good morally grey character (doing illegal shit for the good of society) this is the one for you. Malia was such a good main character and her struggle with identity was super interesting to read about.
September 28, 2025
full disclosure, this book was literally the reason why i became an ARC reviewer. i read the first book in this series, Hammajang Luck, and fell in love with the world, writing style, and all the characters, and Needed more. so i was SO excited to get to read The Obake Code, which is a character-driven heist set in the same world as the prior book, following one of the side characters. you could absolutely read this without having read the first book, though imo you will probably enjoy it way more if you do.
in comparison to Hammajang this was much more of a coming of age story for Malia, the hacker protagonist with a past. her emotional journey is very much the centerpiece of the book, and while i enjoyed the unique things the book did stylistically, i did wish for a little bit more twists and complexity (both emotional and heist-wise) as in the first book. however, i really loved both the new characters this book added and the reappearances of old ones as a little treat!!
overall a super fun queer sci fi heist, i will definitely be continuing to pick up whatever yamamoto writes in the future.
thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!
in comparison to Hammajang this was much more of a coming of age story for Malia, the hacker protagonist with a past. her emotional journey is very much the centerpiece of the book, and while i enjoyed the unique things the book did stylistically, i did wish for a little bit more twists and complexity (both emotional and heist-wise) as in the first book. however, i really loved both the new characters this book added and the reappearances of old ones as a little treat!!
overall a super fun queer sci fi heist, i will definitely be continuing to pick up whatever yamamoto writes in the future.
thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!
August 30, 2025
I enjoyed this book a lot! Not quite as much as Hammajang Luck, but it's still among the most interesting cyberpunk books I've read. This book is marketed as a standalone, and while I think you can certainly understand this story on its own, reading Hammajang Luck first will fill in a lot of backstory on the world and characters, especially since there are numerous references in The Obake Code to the heist featured in the previous book and Malia's former team. I generally always recommend reading in publication order books written in the same world, even when they are technically standalones or can be read as such, because I pretty strongly feel that that's the best way to fully experience the story.
Whereas Hammajang Luck is more of a plot-driven book focused on the heist, The Obake Code is more of a character-driven story. It's still action-packed and features its own heist and take-down of bad guys, but the overall plot isn't as tight as book 1 because more time is spent exploring and developing the characters, especially Malia. By the end of the book, I still didn't entirely understand the storyline, and I'm not sure if that's because the information came to us in bits and pieces throughout the book or just because I wasn't focused enough to grasp all the AI plot details. There was one detail though that I thought was really cool: the description of the difference between .
This book did have a more sci-fi feel to me than book 1 though because of the heavier focus here on the virtual world thanks to Malia as MC. So if you enjoy a good cyberpunk story, check out this book.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.
Whereas Hammajang Luck is more of a plot-driven book focused on the heist, The Obake Code is more of a character-driven story. It's still action-packed and features its own heist and take-down of bad guys, but the overall plot isn't as tight as book 1 because more time is spent exploring and developing the characters, especially Malia. By the end of the book, I still didn't entirely understand the storyline, and I'm not sure if that's because the information came to us in bits and pieces throughout the book or just because I wasn't focused enough to grasp all the AI plot details. There was one detail though that I thought was really cool: the description of the difference between .
This book did have a more sci-fi feel to me than book 1 though because of the heavier focus here on the virtual world thanks to Malia as MC. So if you enjoy a good cyberpunk story, check out this book.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I read Hammajang Luck last year and was surprised by how quickly it captured me, not just with its fast plot but with my investment in its characters. Unfortunately, the Obake Code didn't hit the same for me.
This is by no means a bad book, and I did find it very easy to read quickly, but this book just read much younger to me than Hammajang Luck. This makes sense to a certain extent given how much younger Malia is than Edie, but Malia's lack of maturity felt like it created a simpler emotional narrative. On the one hand, Malia's backstory is very interesting and the way that her feelings are articulated to the reader — outright and in simple terms — actually fit her character very well. On the other hand, this mode of discussing emotions wound up feeling a lot like telling instead of showing to me. It made elements that I found very compelling land without much emotional impact.
The pacing of this book, in terms of action, is very fast, but this actually wound up making the narrative feel a bit flat to me. I needed a bit more variation, because it sometimes felt like I was just going through the motions with the action scenes. And while there is still plenty of criticism of corporatism in this book, the fact that this book's antagonists are primarily one uniquely bad actor and an evil AI trying to take over the world meant that this book also felt thematically weaker to me than HL.
I still like Makana Yamamoto's writing and will keep an eye on their future works, but this one didn't stand out to me.
This is by no means a bad book, and I did find it very easy to read quickly, but this book just read much younger to me than Hammajang Luck. This makes sense to a certain extent given how much younger Malia is than Edie, but Malia's lack of maturity felt like it created a simpler emotional narrative. On the one hand, Malia's backstory is very interesting and the way that her feelings are articulated to the reader — outright and in simple terms — actually fit her character very well. On the other hand, this mode of discussing emotions wound up feeling a lot like telling instead of showing to me. It made elements that I found very compelling land without much emotional impact.
The pacing of this book, in terms of action, is very fast, but this actually wound up making the narrative feel a bit flat to me. I needed a bit more variation, because it sometimes felt like I was just going through the motions with the action scenes. And while there is still plenty of criticism of corporatism in this book, the fact that this book's antagonists are primarily one uniquely bad actor and an evil AI trying to take over the world meant that this book also felt thematically weaker to me than HL.
I still like Makana Yamamoto's writing and will keep an eye on their future works, but this one didn't stand out to me.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Full review coming soon!It was so great returning to Kepler Space Station in The Obake Code! Following the hacker, Malia, that readers saw in Hammajang Luck, I liked how this story stood on its own while also including great little cameos the cast from E's heist. This book expands the world a bit, raises the stakes more, and has some darker, more serious tones in some places as well. Just like Hammajang Luck, Hawaiian Pidgin takes a forefront along with a solid queer cast. I especially loved Malia as a main character and how she builds her found family around her. I could read a 20 book series in this world; and I definitely recommend if you're interested in a sci-fi/cyberpunk adventure!
A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review the eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!
A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review the eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!
August 28, 2025
This was a really cool sci-fi read! It’s technically the second book in the series, but even though I haven’t read the first book I was never lost or confused. But I liked this book so much I need to go back and read the first one!
This book is set in the future, and Malia is able to code and hack through technology in her mind which is pretty cool. I liked the VR aspects as well, everything felt actually possible, like it wasn’t too outlandish.
There was always a lot going on in the story, not just the heist, but that kept things interesting! There was a lot of build up to the heist which was good. I loved all of the queer representation as well.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
This book is set in the future, and Malia is able to code and hack through technology in her mind which is pretty cool. I liked the VR aspects as well, everything felt actually possible, like it wasn’t too outlandish.
There was always a lot going on in the story, not just the heist, but that kept things interesting! There was a lot of build up to the heist which was good. I loved all of the queer representation as well.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
September 10, 2025
Ms. Yamamoto is a writer I'm going to keep my eye on, because between this and Hammajang Luck, we get two sci-fi heist novels that have unique cultural worldbuilding, some great lesbian characters, and really well done plotting. This one focuses in on a hacker who's technically set for life but is bored and gets bought in by hackers who want her to help bring down a corrupt local politican, but gets drawn into a larger conspiracy than she was expecting that has a lot to do with her own past. This was really tightly plotted, and the way that she wove in trauma flashbacks in the body of the story, if a bit overdone in formatting, was incredibly effective. Go pick this up this coming winter (Feb 2026)!
November 29, 2025
Thank you to Harper Voyager for the gifted ARC!
This was a pretty good standalone, I really enjoyed the futuristic sci fi scene and the cyber punk feel. The characters were incredibly diverse and interesting and the actual story was really attention grabbing. It wasn't my favorite read, I felt like it was a bit repetitive in places, there are a few lines that are just repeated over and over. Some of the language was a bit hard to follow organically, I think it needed a bit more context clues in parts.
It definitely wasn't bad by any means, I just felt that some parts were repetitive and difficult to stay in the scene trying to figure out meanings occasionally.
3.75🌟
*This ARC was gifted by Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*
This was a pretty good standalone, I really enjoyed the futuristic sci fi scene and the cyber punk feel. The characters were incredibly diverse and interesting and the actual story was really attention grabbing. It wasn't my favorite read, I felt like it was a bit repetitive in places, there are a few lines that are just repeated over and over. Some of the language was a bit hard to follow organically, I think it needed a bit more context clues in parts.
It definitely wasn't bad by any means, I just felt that some parts were repetitive and difficult to stay in the scene trying to figure out meanings occasionally.
3.75🌟
*This ARC was gifted by Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*
December 21, 2025
(won in a giveaway)
I really enjoyed this! The world building was complex but still easy to follow and understand what was going. The characters were lovable and more importantly relatable (despite having the internet in their heads) and the character growth was clear. Heads up, sometimes I needed to literally read what they were saying to interpret the slang writing.
Malia is a hacker that has the GhostNet (internet) basically implanted into her head. When she gets asked (read: extorted) by the local gang into obtaining damning information about a politician, she ends up thrown into the deep end of the immoral actions of the person who made her. She learns to love and make friends and eventually finds a family despite her instincts telling her she can't.
I really enjoyed this! The world building was complex but still easy to follow and understand what was going. The characters were lovable and more importantly relatable (despite having the internet in their heads) and the character growth was clear. Heads up, sometimes I needed to literally read what they were saying to interpret the slang writing.
Malia is a hacker that has the GhostNet (internet) basically implanted into her head. When she gets asked (read: extorted) by the local gang into obtaining damning information about a politician, she ends up thrown into the deep end of the immoral actions of the person who made her. She learns to love and make friends and eventually finds a family despite her instincts telling her she can't.
September 15, 2025
The Obake Code is a fast-paced, queer cyberpunk heist full of sharp twists and gritty worldbuilding. Malia, a legendary hacker pulled into a dangerous job, makes for a compelling lead, and the mix of high-stakes action with emotional depth really works. Even though it’s the second in the series, I had no trouble following along—but now I want to read the first! The VR and mind-hacking tech felt both futuristic and believable, and I loved the queer representation. Some of the slang-heavy dialogue was tricky at times, but overall this was a slick, imaginative, and very fun read.
October 9, 2025
What you see on the tin- as they say. This novel fills genre expectations and I mean that in a good way. Stylistically, it’s a treat. The prose is clean and evocative. Yamamoto successfully balanced the worldbuilding with stakes that rise without drowning out character. The use of folklore is always something that I personally enjoy as a reader.
I’d recommend this to readers who love sci-fi, puzzlebox narratives, and sapphic relationships set against a broader story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Makana Yamamoto for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I’d recommend this to readers who love sci-fi, puzzlebox narratives, and sapphic relationships set against a broader story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Makana Yamamoto for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 16, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Makana Yamamoto for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Fast paced Sci-fi, cyberpunk, Queer! What more could you want?! This book is such a fun ride. I read it in a single sitting and loved every minute of it.
Fast paced Sci-fi, cyberpunk, Queer! What more could you want?! This book is such a fun ride. I read it in a single sitting and loved every minute of it.
Want to read
June 6, 2025HELL YES!!! Can't wait for this!
![Profile Image for ⭑𓂃 mia [semi-hiatus].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1764840108i%2F171595914._UY200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
Want to read
August 4, 2025MALIA IS GETTING A BOOK AAAH
November 15, 2025
if "Catch that Kid" and Neuromancer came together to have a singular fretful fever dream filled night.
November 26, 2025
It was a good read.
November 27, 2025
full review 2/17/26!
October 28, 2025
Another fantastic scifi heist. I love that Yamamoto balances the scifi and the crime fiction so well by making them bleed into and depend on each other.
One of my main sticking points about Hammajang Luck was that the two main characters--who were obviously desperately in love with each other and who knew each other deeply for years--both held the Oblivious Ball in regards to the other's feelings. Yamamoto has managed to make that romantic struggle a strength here by making it a core part of Malia's character. Yeah, someone who purposely isolates themself from everyone would absolutely have no idea when they're being hit on! It's fantastic! This made me root for Malia where I would roll my eyes at Edie.
One of my main sticking points about Hammajang Luck was that the two main characters--who were obviously desperately in love with each other and who knew each other deeply for years--both held the Oblivious Ball in regards to the other's feelings. Yamamoto has managed to make that romantic struggle a strength here by making it a core part of Malia's character. Yeah, someone who purposely isolates themself from everyone would absolutely have no idea when they're being hit on! It's fantastic! This made me root for Malia where I would roll my eyes at Edie.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews