I'm not into most urban fantasy, and heaven vs hell is also not a genre that usually grabs me, but I am a sucker for a well defined magic system. In Dread Uprising, if someone gives their life for another, then there is a chance they can be re-awakened as an Ash Angel. If their ashes are spread at the location where they were killed during the summer solstice, then there is a chance they will return as an Ash Angel. This is exactly what happens to Trace and he finds himself thrust into the eternal struggle against the Dread, who are created in a similar but opposite way. A Dread must have killed someone else while alive, and then the dust of their remains must be taken to the location of the murder. Ash Angels earn divine gifts known as bestowals, which are powers they may use against the Dread, and after 7 bestowals they ascend into heaven. Despite these powers, for the first time in history, the Dreads have the upper hand and the Ash Angels now find their numbers greatly reduced.

While it was the magic system that got me interested, it was the characters that made this a great book. Cassandra is a snarky Ash Angel that is assigned to train Trace, and her attitude towards him makes the early training missions have just the right level of humor. The AAO (Ash Angel Organization) has a fondness for forms, and the more things go sideways in a mission, the more forms that will need to be filled out. Despite the light undertones, it is the war with the Dread that is the central story and that battle is not light hearted in any way. There are many different kinds of Dreads, and unlike the Ash Angels, they have no respect for "normals." The conflict is a bloody one, and Trace finds himself in the thick of it with not enough training. A war where the stakes have never been higher. 

This a great book and with R. C. Bray doing the narration of the audiobook, it can't get any better. If you are looking for something a little different in the fantasy then I definitely recommend this one.