Author: Eli Snow

DELUXE EDITION--featuring beautiful sprayed edges!

Perfect for fans of Tamsyn Muir and Rebecca Thorne, this joyful debut follows a gardener fighting to secure her dream job in the Divine Gardens--manipulating God, antagonizing her attractive rival, and running afoul of a brewing rebellion along the way.

Cyprin grows perfect apples.

No other worker tends the orchards like she can. Sick of living in a Jenga-esque megacity where she's never alone (there's always a rat), Cyprin dreams of a job in the Divine Gardens, tending to the plants overseen by God.

Her only way in is winning an annual flower pageant--one that's been dominated by the Divine Gardens' head gardener for five years running: an insufferable woman with an undeniable affinity for plants. When Cyprin plays dirty (criminally dirty) and wins, she jumps headfirst into life in the gardens and her rivalry with the head gardener, who she just can't stop thinking about.

Pranks, backstabbing, and a lot of heated glaring unite them, until they're both drawn into a plot to take down God--who's really just some guy with a great garden. As they spiral through layers of the city's history and underground rebel group, Cyprin and her rival will find they understand each other like no one else does, even if there can only be one head gardener in the end.

But rise or fall, at least Cyprin will always have the rats.

A chaotically queer exploration of love, ambition, and toxic work culture, The Divine Gardener's Handbook is a romp of a science fantasy that will leave you gasping for more.

Publisher: Macmillan Publishers (MPS)
Published: 08/18/2026
Pages: 368
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.06oz
Size: 9.25h x 6.12w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781250395184

About the Author
Eli Snow (they/them) is a speculative fiction writer, editor, and former medical geneticist, based in rural Australia with their two cats. Their work tends to center queer and neurodivergent characters, as these are the perspectives they experience the world from. When not reading or writing, they should be checked for signs of life. Eli also writes YA Fantasy under the name Elias Cold. Their YA debut, The Duke Steals Hearts, is available now from Page Street Kids.