Wishing Makes It So

Name: Wishing Makes It So
Price: 12.99 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9798670062428

✍️ Marilyn Meredith

Reader Score

4.5

(1 review)

$12.99

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A couple's attempt to save a troubled child turns into a nightmare of psychological terror.

The narrative follows Alyse and Steven as they struggle to manage Belinda, a four-year-old with a history of instability. Despite their professional credentials and prior success, they cannot control her disruptive influence on their family unit. The tension builds through her dual nature: charming to strangers but vicious at home. Her goal is singular and absolute. She wants to eliminate the competition for parental affection. This desire manifests in violent acts against her siblings and property. The story does not rely on external monsters. It focuses entirely on the corruption of the domestic sphere by a seemingly innocent child.

Key Themes

parental failure childhood malice domestic invasion

Literary Context

This 2020 publication reflects contemporary anxieties about foster care and the limits of professional expertise in managing complex behavioral issues. It sits within the tradition of psychological horror that explores the fragility of family structures when faced with unexplained evil.

Difficulty

●● Medium

Recommended For Fans Of

Shirley Jackson · Daphne du Maurier · Susan Hill · R.L. Stine's mature works

🧠

Psychological Horror

🏛 Independently Published 📅 2020 🌐 English 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9798670062428

📝 Description: Wishing Makes It So

Marilyn Meredith presents a psychological horror narrative centered on Alyse and Steven, a couple who take in a four-year-old girl named Belinda. Their confidence stems from their experience raising three biological children and Steven’s professional background as a counselor. They believe these qualifications will allow them to provide a stable environment for a child previously rejected by multiple homes. Belinda quickly becomes a source of severe distress within the household. She displays persistent disobedience and engages in destructive behavior, including harming the other children and vandalizing their personal items. Her conduct shifts unpredictably between moments of apparent sweetness and genuine menace. She possesses a charming demeanor that easily deceives outsiders, masking her true intentions. The core conflict arises from Belinda’s intense desire to be the sole child in the family. This obsession drives her actions toward increasingly dangerous extremes. The story examines the breakdown of domestic safety when external expertise fails to contain internal malice. Meredith’s work appeals to readers who enjoy character-driven terror and the subversion of parental authority. It may not suit those seeking supernatural ghosts or gore, as the horror is rooted in human behavior and psychological manipulation.

💎 Our verdict on Wishing Makes It So

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🩸

Horror Reads editorial team

Horror desk

Meredith delivers a tightly wound narrative that excels in building dread through realistic domestic tension rather than sensationalist shocks. The portrayal of Belinda’s dual nature—charming to outsiders yet vicious at home—is rendered with chilling precision, effectively subverting the trope of the innocent child. The story successfully maintains its focus on psychological manipulation, avoiding reliance on supernatural elements to generate fear. This approach creates a pervasive sense of unease that lingers long after reading. It suits best those who enjoy character-driven horror and literary explorations of family dysfunction. While it may frustrate readers seeking plot twists or gore, it rewards patience with a deeply unsettling examination of power dynamics within the home.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Readers who find comfort in traditional horror tropes will likely find this text unsettlingly devoid of respite, as it offers no external monsters to fight. However, those who appreciate the slow-burn tension of psychological manipulation and the subversion of parental authority will gain significant satisfaction from this narrative. It appeals to individuals interested in character-driven terror that examines the fragility of domestic safety. The book is ideal for readers who prefer horror rooted in human behavior and psychological breakdown over gore or supernatural clichés, offering a chilling exploration of how expertise can fail against pure, focused malice within the family unit.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

Reader rating

4.5

Based on 1 reviews

Horror Reads editorial team

Meredith delivers a tightly wound narrative that excels in building dread through realistic domestic tension rather than sensationalist shocks. The portrayal of Belinda’s dual nature—charming to outsiders yet vicious at home—is rendered with chilling precision, effectively subverting the trope of the innocent child. The story successfully maintains its focus on psychological manipulation, avoiding reliance on supernatural elements to generate fear. This approach creates a pervasive sense of unease that lingers long after reading. It suits best those who enjoy character-driven horror and literary explorations of family dysfunction. While it may frustrate readers seeking plot twists or gore, it rewards patience with a deeply unsettling examination of power dynamics within the home.