The YA debut “The Vanishing Station” by Ana Ellickson follows the eighteen-year-old Filipino American Ruby Santos on her journey into an unfamiliar, magical underground that is connected by the train tracks across the world.
Ruby's life in San Francisco is not easy. She recently lost her mother and tries to help her father financially instead of focusing on her own passions. But as she finds out what her father is really doing day to day she is pulled into a new world of magic, crime families and has to fight for everything she has left-including her own life.

This book was amazing! I really liked the protagonist Ruby and her complex life. The way her passions and struggles were portrayed really resonated with me and engaged me in the story. The topics of grief, family and art were woven perfectly into the narrative and gave it more depth. I liked the side characters and dynamic between Ruby and her love interest and appreciate that the subtle love story never overpowered the plot.

My favorite part however was the fantastical aspect of the story. It is a fresh idea that transforms the mundane into something mysterious and exciting. Imagining hidden organizations behind the train systems made my own train rides while reading this much more exhilarating.

I had the pleasure to listen to this book as an audiobook narrated by Amielynn Abellera. Her performance was stellar and I like that the publisher chose a Filipino American woman to give Ruby a voice.

A big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher RB Media for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this knowing it was a YA novel. I know some people complained about the MC being annoying, so I tried to be forgiving with her attitude (we were all dramatic teenagers at one point!). Overall, I think the book was great. There were a couple of scenes where I just wanted to shake Ruby, but I think it was an interesting concept. It kinda felt a little dystopian. Not sure why, but it gave me Hunger Games vibes. I guess because of the different gangs. This is a good YA with a driving plot that doesn’t demand too much of the reader (i.e. following a bunch of characters, too many sub plots, unmanageable slang, etc).

"The Vanishing Station" is a teen/YA debut by Ana Ellickson. It's a sci-fi fantasy story in which certain talented people have the ability to use subway trains to jump portals across many miles and even oceans.

The main character is Ruby Santos, an 18 year old recent high school graduate. She has to take care of her alcoholic dad and try to make enough income to support them both. She is a likable character.

This story has grief, financial struggle, difficult choices, romance, and good vs. evil, plus magic and travel. I enjoyed the time in Amsterdam in particular.

The narrator, Amielynn Abellara, did a great job with the voices and acting.

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 4/5
Plot - 5/5
Pacing - 4/5
Unputdownability - 5/5
Enjoyment - 4/5
Narration - 5/5
Cover - 3/5
Overall - 4.4/5

I recommend this book to anyone who likes sci-fi fantasy with a teenage coming-of-age story and romance.

Thank you to Netgalley, RB Media, and Ana Ellickson for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank You NetGalley, Ana Ellickson, and Recorded Books. I enjoyed the audiobook, narrated by Amielynn Abellera. Amielynn did an awesome job at doing everyone's voices. She does ALL the voices: young, old, girl, boy, foreign, and American, so well. Anna Ellickson did a fantastic job at making her first book full of magicalism, romance, and fantasy. Ruby who lives in San Francisco with her father finds out she is able to do magical things on the railway system. Growing up with a father who loved trains and taking us to the old, abandoned rail yards I especially loved the visuals and can imagine the sound of the trains over the tracks. I loved how the book was complete but also if Ana Ellickson wanted, she could continue on with a series. I gave the book 5 stars because I could easily re-read the book.

Great book and character and world development and great adventure. This book leaves you on the edge of your seat just waiting to hear what's next.

The concept of this book is really cool and the portal magic in this book is super intriguing! I thought Ruby was a fairly good narrator/main character, but there were moments when her stubbornness was irritating. I didn't understand how Ruby was simultaneously falling for Montgomery but mistrustful of him in the first place. I personally thought that he showed himself trustworthy every time he stuck his neck out for her, and then she spit in his face and did something stupid (for lack of a better word, but also what Ruby said). I can't give this book more than 3.5 stars because the pacing is SLOW. It's only an 11.5/12 hour audiobook and it feels like it's taken me ages to finish it. If I'm totally honest, I got bored and the namesake of the book, The Vanishing Station, isn't mentioned until 60% into the story. I literally forgot about it until they mentioned it.

Overall, I liked the concept of this book, but I don't think it was for me. I'd recommend giving it a try because portal magic with trains is cool!

A fascinating title. I enjoyed the take on time travel and the evolution of the characters. The setting was believable as well as memorable. I think any YA reader would enjoy this!

This was incredibly unique!

I really enjoyed the narration and the story. It's definitely YA so I had to keep that in mind sometimes but it was overall enjoyable and had a very satisfying ending.

4/5!

Oh this is so good. I was immediately hooked. We follow Ruby on an adventure with high stakes. I really like this magical realism/palusible fantasy. I also appreciate the wit in this book. It's well done.

Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

This book had such potential, but it ended up just feeling a bit boring to me. It couldn't seem to truly catch my attention. I'm not sure exactly what about it had me feeling that way, because I really enjoyed Ruby as a character and being able to watch her growth. I'm not sure if it's because the romance fell a little flat to me, or because the action itself was so slow that it took a while to get into the meat of the story and the trains.

I really loved Ruby's journey with addiction and relationships and the way she grows through the story. Her strength was really admirable and I enjoyed watching her use it but also learn who she truly wanted to be with it. The pain of loving someone with addiction was so real, and I loved the way it was portrayed.

All in all, it was a book that I read, but nothing really blew me away.

"The Vanishing Station" by Ana Ellickson, narrated by Amielynn Abellera, offers a thrilling journey into a world of underground magic and urban fantasy. Through the engaging narration, listeners are transported into the heart of San Francisco's mystical train system, where secrets and danger lurk around every corner.

The story follows Ruby Santos, a young Filipino American grappling with loss, poverty, and the weight of family secrets. As she delves deeper into her father's clandestine job as a delivery person for a magical train station, Ruby finds herself drawn into a dangerous underworld of illegal trading and dark magic. Alongside her captivating journey, the audiobook explores themes of grief, identity, and the lengths one will go to protect their loved ones.

With its unique premise and well-developed characters, "The Vanishing Station" captivates listeners from start to finish. While the fantasy elements could have been further explored and explained, the story's focus on important themes such as poverty and acceptance adds depth to the narrative. The smooth narration and character-driven plot make this audiobook a must-listen for fans of urban fantasy and magical realism.

This was honestly such a fun and entertaining audiobook that I couldn’t stop listening to it. I also adored the narrator’s voice because it made it so easy to distinguish all the characters from one another.

It’s an YA urban fantasy debut novel about an underground magic train system in San Francisco. Ruby Santos, eighteen year old Filipino American, is dealing with a lot - her mother’s recent death that left a lot of unpaid hospital bills, her dad’s debts and alcohol consuming problems, them struggling to get by and having to move out to their house’s basement to be able to rent the top, and the fact that she has to forget all about her dreams to be an artist. On top of that, she discovers that her dad has led a secret life as a delivery person for a magical train station underworld “jumping” train lines to deliver packages for a really powerful family. Ruby ends up taking over her dads job to repay his debt and keep their house, but soon realizes that this is no ordinary job. She gets entangled with this dangerous magical underworld and illegal trading more than she expected and ends up falling for the one boy she shouldn’t be falling for. After all, he is the son of her cruel boss, bound to train her for the job and learn train magic.

This plot was so refreshing and unique, and I ended up liking both Ruby and Montgomery as well as side characters. I just absolutely loved the concept of being able to travel around the world through a train portal magic. We also got to see and discover a lot of new places, which was really fun. Also, the poetry elements that were introduced and intertwined with the magic were so neatly done!

The only thing that stopped me from rating it higher is that I wanted a bit more of fantasy elements and explanation about Montgomery’s family business and train system itself. It was pretty vague, but still very enjoyable.

This book was more than just a fantasy story – it deals with a lot of important topics, such as navigating your grief, finding and accepting yourself, fighting for what you love and the lengths you are willing to go to protect what is dear to you. It also focuses a lot on the poverty and alcoholism problems, which I think was greatly executed.

The ending felt a bit too smooth and perfectly wrapped up, but still left a door for a probable continuation of the story. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a character driven story with a slow burn romance and a small portion of magic.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author and RB Media publisher for the copy!

A bit of a slow beginning that had my attention by the end.

Ruby is a teen who had to grow up fast and take on responsibilities to keep her family going, and it shows in every facet of her life. From the odd jobs she works to cover bills, to the dreams of art school relegated to some nebulous future time, to the social life she neglects in order to be on call for her alcoholic dad: every day is a push to survive.

Backed into a corner, Ruby makes a desperate decision that sets her on a dangerous path. What unfolds next is a dizzying world of magic that opens up wild possibilities and ruthless retaliations only a misstep away. Her only ally is an untrustworthy boy with a handsome face and hidden kindness.

I love a book that does a good job of building realistic characters with complicated loyalties, and <i>The Vanishing Station</i> does not disappoint. Ruby is torn between duty and dreams, faced with prioritizing herself or her family when doing both seems impossible.

I'll admit I'm a little fuzzy on some of the concepts (the trains are still trains, but they're alive? they have conscious thought and can teleport you?) but found myself surprisingly unbothered by the vagueness. The ideas are creative and intriguing, giving a taste of possibility while leaving the impression there's so much left to explore.

I was not expecting to love this so completely. I love the narration.
I love the brooding caring bad guy boss and our protagonist. I love the house and her pain. I love the renters even!
This was just the most fun book I have listened to in a while.

I was given an advanced reader copy in audiobook format. I really enjoyed the read and the narrator did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life and making sure they each had their own voices.

The idea that there's magic in underground networks that run in different places all over the world is amazing and diffrent.
Add in some wonderful characters and you have a story that is mind-blowing experience.
I throughly loved this read.

I do not read a lot of YA books. I saw the title of this one and thought I needed to read it. I am so glad that NetGalley allowed me to read it. I have highly enjoyed listening to it. I love how the main character is so responsible by taking care of her family.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The narrator and author did a great job delivering a magical story covering difficult grief and addiction. It's a unique story that's never been heard of before and I would gladly recommend it to others. I've watched a few Filpino TV dramas, and this story had that familiar feeling of viewing one. I could see this becoming a TV adaptation with all the magical aspects, drama, suspense, and slow-burn romance. It would leave people hooked, especially the teens.

This was a modern YA fantasy with magical portals in the trains. It follows a you adult, Ruby, who is trying to lead the life her late mother would have wanted for her. I Iistened to the audiobook and loved the narrators voice for all the characters, it was easy to tell who was saying what.

Couldn’t get hooked on this - maybe it was the narrator tho? I have been struggling with audios so still try if you want to!