I wanted to love this, but struggled hard with the world building and was disappointed in how convoluted the plotting was. Part dystopian novel, part fantasy, and WAAAAAAAAY too much male drooling.

I enjoyed the first 47% of this book, the setting was great and the whole concept of people in future, some in the Omni Towers, living it up, others scraping a living outside in the bleak landscape was cool. They would go scavenging in the ruins of old civilizations, hunting down trinkets and tech to trade.
Kayla did come across as a bit of a special snowflake, she is good at everything. There is nothing she can’t do and every man loves her. She can walk into a room and be better than the best lock picker, be better than the best coder, it’s a bit much. To be honest, this shit gets on my nerves. It’s not something I can read about often without wanting to yell at the book. I did like that she was feisty, I liked that she was comfortable in her own skin, and I liked that she went after what she wanted.
A lot of the male side characters seemed to exist only to drool over Kayla and tell her how good she looked. So while I enjoyed the setting and the scavenging side, you didn’t see enough of that. I found myself glazing over. Full props for the sexy times though.
The second half of the book really dragged for me. I’m not a huge fan of love triangles and this one was a big guy. It meant that there was a whole lot of whiny angst and it kind of killed it for me. It overpowered the rest of the plot. Also once again Kayla came in and was doing everything better than people who had years of training. It just bugged me.
I still liked Carl though, he was pretty awesome.

This is the first novel I have read by this author and I was pleasantly surprised.

I was feeling drawn to the post-apocalyptic genre after finishing the Maze Runner and Darkest Mind series and felt like maybe this should be my next port of call!
And whilst Beneath The Fallen City is different to those house names, it still hits the right spot!

I really enjoyed reading about the post-apocalyptic world and joining Kayla on her journey as a Ruin Rat. I love that Kayla likes to live on the edge and there was plenty of action to keep me intrigued.

I was actually very surprised by the addition of magic into the book but welcomed it with open arms!

The writing is easy to follow and the setting is easy to envisage. Jamie A Waters does a great job of bringing this apocalyptic world to life. A really fun easy read that definitely hits the spot and leaves you wanting more.

I would like to thank the author and the Netgalley website for this partnership.

I was immediately attracted to the cover and the summary.

It is learned from the beginning that since 150 years after the land was destroyed, two towers built by an Omnilab have allowed those who have survived and managed to protect their families to find refuge in these two towers. We find Kayla there, gifted in computer hacking and who finds an artifact and will find herself in trouble.

I immediately hooked on the story, which was so captivating and full of suspense and twists and turns, as well as the characters. Looking forward to reading on.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator

Although I enjoyed the story line, the writing was a bit difficult for me. It didn't flow smoothly and it got so distracting I would lose my place. I did like the story once I got through it which is why I ended up giving it 3 stars.

I was pulled. In by the description and really wanted to enjoy the story, but I struggled a little with the worldbuilding and the characters. This has nothing to do with the author and her story and all with my expectations. Jamie Waters delivers a solid first book in an intriguing series, I just wasn’t quite in the right space to enjoying it as much as I wanted to. Perfect for any one who enjoys a twist to their dystopian romance.

Beneath the fallen city by Jamie A. Waters is an incredible story. This is my first book by this author and I truly enjoyed reading Kayla's story.
It's a post-apocaliptic YA novel.

One of the main characters is Kayla, a ruin rat. She scours the ruins of the old world trying to find valuable things to sell. But things start happening real fast real soon. Her entire life changes. We follow Kayla as she is trying to figure out how tó handle all these changes. And than there is romance. She has two just to be on the safe side. I am curious to find out how that is going to work out for her.

I hope to find out more about the world and Kayla's ancestors too in later books.

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with an ARC ín exchange for an honest review.

"Beneath the Fallen City" is the first book I've read from author Jamie A. Waters, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. The main character Kayla, is a young woman who feels more alive than ever scouring the ruins of old civilizations. After world wars ravaged the planet, all that's left are camps, destroyed buildings, and two mysterious towers owned by a strange company called OmniLabs.

After losing her family in a ruin collapse, Kayla found a new home with a boy named Veridian. Dubbed Ruin Rats, they're the people who go into old buildings and find enough treasure to sell to the traders, trying to make enough money to survive in the wasteland. Usually they go into cleared sectors, but she likes to take things from right under the trader's noses. The beginning of the book finds her dangling in a ruin, about to be ambushed by a local trader, Carl, and his group.

This story is half apocalyptic, half magic, with a little dash of romance added in, and that's something I didn't expect from the description. Though the viewpoints jump around quite a bit between the pages, it's easy to follow, and I liked getting to see the different sides of the story. It's a lot different than the other apocalyptic fiction books I've read lately. The world it's set in is completely destroyed, but still really easy to imagine, and the characters are realistic aside from some of the magical parts. I loved getting to see them interact with each other, they're very consistent throughout the whole book.

My favourite character out of the whole book surprisingly has to be Veridian, because although he's a background character that doesn't get a lot of time in the spotlight, he's always there for Kayla and whoever else is around. He's smart and cares about people, and he does his job well. I'd like to see more of him in the future.

After finishing this book, I couldn't wait to see what happened next, and was delighted to see that this is a series with a lot of books already published, and I'd like to check them out and see what they're all about. I think this book would be perfect for someone looking for an apocalyptic fiction book that's a lot different than the average one, who doesn't mind very brief romance.

Thanks for reading!
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

A big thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. First time reading this author. This is the first in a series. It was previously published under the title Two Towers but apparently has been revised a lot. I liked the book. I loved Kayla!! She is amazing. Her love interests are ok.I liked Carl more than Alec. It took me a bit to know what was happening as I didn't think it was well explained but it is worth the read. This is not a HEA and not really a romance, more fantasy. I rate this 3.5 stars.

A really good read. I would recommend this book if you like reading about a strong female hero. A good start to the series.

I received this ARC book for an honest review.

I’ll be honest and tell you that I looked at the reviews before I read this book. I generally don’t do that because books are so personal to each individual. We all expect different things when we read. However, I did, and I expected not to like this book. Big mistake. I quite enjoyed this book, hence why I generally don’t read reviews until after I’ve read the book. (To be fair, this book has been extensively revised and rewritten so I should have known especially not to read the reviews.) This book was written very well, and after I took a little bit to get to know the world, I settled in and quite enjoyed myself almost from beginning to end. There was a lot going on in this book, with a lot of changes from venue to venue which maybe disconcerted me a little. However, when the book ended, I immediately looked to see when the next book was going to be out and was surprised to see the next one was almost out. And, I can’t wait to read it, the mark of a good book. Please do give this book a try if you like sci-fi/urban fantasy with a liberal dose of romance. It really is very good! Highly recommend! I received a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

Beneath the Fallen City by Jamie A. Waters tracks the life of a post apocalyptic young woman as she discovers her origins.

The world-build that Waters constructs appears to be Earth in a future where the cities have been destroyed by war and the ozone layer has been depleted, such that people on the surface require UV protection. The overlords dwelling the in towers rarely brave the surface, while the ruin rats and traders extract resources from the devastation. It's clever and sets up obvious conflict right from the start.

The characters are well developed, beginning with our protagonist, Kayla. She is complicated, beautiful and intelligent, but her skills extend way beyond the typical. Her love interests, both of whom are also intriguing and believable, create a triangle that melds with the plot.

The story is excellent, and the pages turn themselves.

Other than the unnecessarily graphic sex scenes, I enjoyed the writing. One particular premise about the origins of the characters' talents stretched credulity, but for the most part, the strength of the story allowed me to forgive what seemed to be relatively incongruous historical references. Perhaps this well be addressed in later parts of the series.

Finally, the ending allows for both a conclusion to the active story line while keeping alive the expectation for more in subsequent books.

Overall, it's a great read, and I give it 5 stars.

I read this book years ago and also the second book in the series. The title was The Two Towers or something like that. Didn't feel like reading it again but from what I remember it was a very good book. In fact I kept looking for the third one in the series and now the first two books are again in print under a different name (at least the first one, I don't remember the name of the second one). I'll wait for the third one to come out and finish reading the series since I really liked the first two ones.

I need more.
How did this not end up a best seller before? I will give the author credit for changing the title and cover. These are much better suited to the story.
The story which I need more of.
This is an epically good start to the Omni Towers series. I was engrossed throughout the entire book. Kayla is a bad-ass. She's a no-nonsense heroine with a backbone. The young adult genre needs more characters written like her.
The love triangle didn't feel forcwd, although I am not a fan of love triangles at all. This one played out with the story well.
I hope I get a chance to read the rest of this series, as re-released by the author.
I'm going to give a better review shortly. I just needed to get this off my mind since I just finished.
Thank you, Netgalley!

Wow, so good. Once I got into the story I couldn't put it down. Kayla is a strong willed adventurous woman who knows her mind and isn't it afraid to speak it. I was constantly rooting for her with all the scrapes she got into.

A good story, a dark look on a post apocalyptic war ravaged world with a kick as s lady hero. A engaging start to a new series!

If I could give BENEATH THE FALLEN CITY six stars, I would. Once I started reading, I could not put this book down. From the first page, as Kayla crashes through the floor of the building she was exploring, I felt like I was right there with her. The scenes, as described by this author, had me actually feeling like I was right there amongst the dust and debris and ancient artifacts.

Oh! And the characters! I loved Kayla with her snarky, totally capable, quick tempered, tough-girl image, and yet so fully developed as a character, the reader was able to see the soft, vulnerable side of her as well. And Carl. OMG! Just reading about this guy had my heart thumping in overtime. Then there is Alec. Wow! What more could a gal ask for? Not generally a fan of love triangles, but this one is done so well that I am truly intrigued and can’t wait to read the next two books in this series.

About the story… In this post-apocalyptic world, the elite (or those who were able to afford the price) live in the gleaming white towers built by OmniLab. These people have grown up in a world where life is easy and food and water and other commodities are readily accessible. Those not able to afford the price of residency are forced to be scavengers on the surface and live in camps where conditions are harsh. Kayla is a ruin rat who has learned to survive by finding items in the ruins that can be sold to the various traders, who in turn sell these items to the people in the Omni Towers. When a strange turn of events puts Kayla in the middle of the Omni Towers corruption, sparks fly. Be prepared for lots of action and intrigue. Fascinating story line!

Jamie A. Waters is an author to watch. Her ability to create such well-developed characters and pull you into her fascinating world is simply awesome! I understand that Kayla’s story is pretty much complete at the end of Book 3 in this series, but then, because there are so many other wonderful characters, there will be three additional books based in this world about some of the other characters. I, for one, cannot wait!

Phew, finished the book and now I have to wait for the next!

The book is a mix of sci-fi/fantasy/paranormal. Kayla is a young woman (early 20s) who is surviving as a ruin rat, someone who scours the ruins of the cities for artifacts, the only way to make some living in the harsh world outside the Omni Towers. In those towers live the rich families that once build the towers to survive after the wars and they control the landscape and the ruins. Traders are looking for artifacts and the ruin rats are lowest on the totem pole.

For months, Kayla has been observed by Trader Carl and he makes her an offer to work for him. But when a secret from Kayla’s past comes to light, her life will change.

I totally enjoyed this book. Kayla is feisty and wild and fights for what she wants. The book ends unresolved and I can’t wait for the next book.
I am so not into love triangles and I am curious as how this will play out. Even though I like Carl, the romance is still rather new and Alec has also grabbed my interest. The writing style is enjoyable, good editing and I was just grabbed by the story and kept on reading for hours.

NB: the series is being revived and expanded so this has a new title and publication date.

I received this novel from net galley and the publisher. Thank you!
The world was destroyed by war and those with enough money and influence were able to get themselves into the towers built by OmniLab, a safe haven. Kayla is a ruin rat, who is extremely talented at finding things. She has a rough past, but is strong and independent. Carl is a trader who has been trying to recruit Kayla since he first saw her. She has caused him nothing but trouble and has surprised him. Carl is respected by his team. He wants to get a director role in OmniLab. He is able to get Kayla and her friend to sign a one year contract with them, but it is because he can protect her as a trader. Still, Kayla is a magnet for trouble and OmniLab finds Kayla very interesting especially after discovering she found The Aurelia Data Cube. This leads to Kayla learning the true nature of her past, but Kayla refuses to be controlled or belong to anyone. Carl and Kayla have an attraction for each other, and there are those who are not happy with that blossoming relationship. Kayla also feels responsible for what is currently happening and will do whatever is necessary to stop it. Carl and others help Kayla, but will it be enough to stop a man who is too power hungry and sees Kayla as a way to boost his own powers?