Twenty-five-year-old Astra Ching has never sought the
spotlight. So when a mysterious black orb appears with a
challenge for Earth and selects her to compete in its strange
— and very public — game, she’s not pleased to find herself
a sudden superstar.

The rules are bewildering, and there are no second chances
for losers. Yet while Astra fights to stay alive and save the
world from imminent destruction, the people of Earth are
more interested in tabloids and gossip, like whether or not
she’s engaging in a scandalous love affair with a fellow
contestant . . . or the mysterious alien known only as Eleven.

In her struggle to survive, Astra forms tentative alliances
with a handful of trustworthy friends. But as the global
gossip seeps into the game and contestants are eliminated
with each round, Astra’s celebrity threatens to become
infamy and the line between friend and foe blurs.

Will she emerge from the arena a hero, or just
another headline?