"The Vanishing Station" by Ana Ellickson is a captivating listen that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Narrated by Amielynn Abellera, the audiobook brings a unique blend of mystery and suspense to life, making it a thrilling experience from start to finish.

Abellera’s narration is engaging, perfectly capturing the tension and intrigue of the story. The plot is well-crafted, filled with unexpected twists and turns that keep you guessing. Ellickson’s writing draws you into a richly imagined world, with characters that feel both relatable and complex.

I’d rate this audiobook 4 out of 5 stars. It’s an exciting and immersive story, and I look forward to seeing where this narrative goes in the future. Thank you to NetGalley for my copy; all opinions are my own!

#NetGalley #AnaEllickson #TheVanishingStation #RBMedia

Suuper interesting fantasy story. At first, I was a bit turned off by it because of how the fantasy element was introduced. But soon I came to truly appreciate it. The magical elements are never thoroughly explained and it really doesnt have to in order for the story to be told. It stands out from other fantasy books I've read in a very nice way and it is unbelievable to me that this is a debut novel.
I loved the symbolism of capitalism and financial oppression throughout - perhaps a little heavy-handed at times but I thought it was a great supplement to the overall story. Overall, a very pleasent read I finally got around to

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a review copy of this on audiobook from NetGalley.

Thoughts: I ended up getting to about 45% of the way through this on audiobook and then setting this aside. I just didn't like this book and found it incredibly boring. It has a lot of typical YA elements...for example, a family of swoon-worthy emotionally damaged brothers, one of which our protagonist (Ruby) both dislikes and yearns for.

The story follows Ruby Santos, a young woman who is struggling to make ends meet as a painter. Her dad is an alcoholic and is constantly making poor decisions that she has to clean up after. One day she follows him to his work, only to find out that he is involved in something dark and magical and beyond her comprehension.

I liked the idea around portal hopping and trains, but so little happens in the first half of the book that it was disappointing.

I also strongly disliked the relationship Ruby has with her father. Unfortunately, this relationship is a big part of the story. Her father is a drunk and beyond being neglectful, he constantly puts his daughter into dangerous situations and then gets mad at her for it. This is not okay. Ruby and her father (and everyone else in the story) make excuses about how he is really a good man and he is always trying. I had no patience for this and it put a sour taste in my mouth. Ruby should not be subjected to this abuse from her father, and it definitely shouldn't be supported by everyone around her.

Ruby also has a strange obsession with her mother's house. She is willing to sacrifice both her own and her father's well-being for a house. She is given options to escape from having to work for this mob-like magical underworld but she refuses to take them because of a house. I thought her obsession with this house was weird. She would rather die than loose her mother's house. I get it, the house reminds her of her dead mom, but it is just a material item. You should be able to let go of material things if your life and safety depend on doing that.

The slow pace and the strong dislike I have for these characters made me decide to stop reading this and move on to something else. I do find the concept intriguing. However, that wasn't enough for me to get past the constant gooey yearning for a boy the protagonist dislikes, her constant excuses for her abusive father, or her weird house obsession.

I listened to this on audiobook and the narration was decently done. I had no issues with the narration.

My Summary (2/5): Overall this book was not for me. I liked the idea of a family representing magical portal trains. However, the way the main character makes constant excuses for her abusive father, constantly puts herself in danger, and can't get over a house really bothered me. Those things coupled with the sluggish pace made this nearly unbearable to listen to. When I get to the point that I want to throw things at the screen in my car while I listen to the audiobook in the car...that means it is time to move on to something else. I was really that frustrated with this book. So for the safety of my car and those driving around me, I had to stop.

I think this book was really good, though it dragged in some places. I would have enjoyed seeing more stations and more explorations. It was still way focused on her learning things and didn’t feature her moving around through BERT as much I had hoped. Although, if this is a planned series, this was good book to jump off of (pun not intended). I definitely want to know more and feel like it ended well but I’m curious where they’re going now. Definitely wouldn’t mind having a series from this.

The narration were really good and kept me engaged even with my slipping focus.

The Vanishing Station is an interesting novel about jumping trains from one space to another. Imagine being in San Francisco and jumping into Amsterdam! Or Italy! That’s the new world that ruby is thrust into when she takes over her father’s debt. Only, she realizes that the people she is working for are not the good guys. Now what? A good book. I really enjoyed it! Narrator did a great job too!

This was a really enjoyable fast pace read. The audio narration was really fun and entertaining. Really nice world development and magic system all which lead to the opportunity for future storytelling. With it being a YA story I think you can feel that on occasion with the main character. Not a fault just a callout if someone is reading that might not be in the YA demographic.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley, RB Media, Recorded Books, Amulet Books, Ana Ellickson, and Amielynn Abellera (audio narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of The Vanishing Station in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a phenomenally enjoyable debut novel. Seemingly stand-alone, there is certainly room in this world and through the way the book ends to offer more adventures for Ruby and Montgomery (Chase).

In an underground magic system, there are people who can call upon and use trains to jump to different stations around the world. They use this for transporting goods, but depending on the line section's manager, those goods may generally fall under the "illegal" category. 

When Ruby's father cannot fulfill his duty as Balboa, she is called to continue the work he is contracted for. Work involving the train jumping and delivery of goods. Ruby trains with Montgomery, a rail jumper that she soon starts to have feelings for. In a world with more to it than just calling upon the magic, Ruby soon learns that Montgomery is one of the few people she can trust.

Ruby soon learns the trains can be called through the power of words, and they tend to really like poetry, such as "The Red Wheelbarrow" or lines from good old Romeo & Juliet. Ruby proves to be a powerful jumper, and others are taking notice. Hopefully her enemies don't push her through the Vanishing Station...

The whole time I was reading this, I kept thinking of that scene in the first episode of Digimon Frontier where the Digidestined take the Railmon to the digital world. I kept thinking of the trains more like the Railmon: alive and thinking, though that is certainly not the case. Just an intriguing idea.

A really fun read with a nice blend of urban fantasy in its more contemporary magic system, and a lovely dash of action, adventure, and romance, as well as family dynamics. A thoroughly enjoyable novel that fans of light urban fantasy will love.

In the years since her mother's death, Ruby and her father - who had been largely absent during Ruby's childhood but stepped into full-time parenting when her mother died - have struggled to get by. When Ruby learns her father has worked for a powerful family by using his ability to magically jump between transit stops, Ruby discovers she also has this ability. Despite her father's warnings, she follows in his risky footsteps.

The magic system in this book was intriguing, and the characters are relatable. The romance feels a little forced at times, but the action makes this a fast-paced, fun read.

Listened at 2.5x speed. Narrator was solid with pacing and multiple voices. It was always easy to tell who was talking.

Ruby lost her mom and takes care of her alcoholic dad, and then finds out she has supernatural powers which allow her to portal from train station to train station. There's a love interest, there's danger, there's disbelief. The characters aren't very developed, so I didn't feel any real connection to them. Also seems like this is a set up for a series, but I'd say that less-than-normal happened in this book to really build a solid foundation for future installments.

The writing is good. The pacing was fine. Likely, though, I'll end up forgetting about this one.

Overall: 2 stars (It was ok)

**Thank you to NetGalley & RB Media | Recorded Books for the free ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

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.