Once Upon a Time Zone: A Bookish Podcast

By Jaime Fok and Freya Valerio

Two friends, two time zones, and a shared love of stories.

We are Freya (from Australia) & Jaime (from Canada), book besties who are worlds apart.

As lovers of fantasy, romance, and fiction - we... more

5

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FAQs about Once Upon a Time Zone: A Bookish Podcast:

How many episodes does Once Upon a Time Zone: A Bookish Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 7 episodes available.

Once Upon a Time Zone: A Bookish Podcast episodes:

August 15, 2025 THIS or THAT? (Book Edition) - Fav Authors, Reading Habits & Hot Takes [EP#6]
In this episode, Freya & Jaime sit down and go through the most difficult book decisions EVER. We play This or That with authors, favorite books, characters, genres, reading habits, and so much more.

Follow us on Instagram: @onceuponatimezonepod
Watch our video podcasts on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponaTimeZonePodcast⁠⁠⁠

Jaime's socials:
⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@jaimefok⁠⁠⁠
Instagram: @jaimefok
Tiktok: @jaime.fok

Freya's socials:
⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@freyvalerio⁠⁠⁠
Instagram: @freyv_reads
Tiktok: @freyvalerio

00:00 - intro & current reads
06:00 - characters
19:26 - book aesthetics
28:14 - genres
35:02 - writing styles
47:00 - reading habits
54:09 - for fun
58:22 - books and authors
...more
1h 8min
August 08, 2025 All the BOOK SERIES We are In the Middle Of (Are These Worth Reading?) [EP#5]
In this episode, Freya & Jaime sit down and discuss the book series that we are currently in the middle of reading.

Follow us on Instagram: @onceuponatimezonepod
Watch our video podcasts on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponaTimeZonePodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠

Jaime's socials:
⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@jaimefok⁠⁠⁠⁠
Instagram: @jaimefok
Tiktok: @jaime.fok

Freya's socials:
⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@freyvalerio⁠⁠⁠⁠
Instagram: @freyv_reads
Tiktok: @freyvalerio

00:00 - intro & current reads
07:45 - the ember quartet
12:43 - emily wilde
19:25 - before the coffee gets cold
23:57 - the daevabad trilogy
26:38 - the prison healer
29:44 - the inferno rising
32:52 - the green bone saga
36:48 - the chronicles of castellane
42:01 - the roots of chaos
45:40 - the remnant chronicles
49:18 - the bone season
53:53 - the elements of cadence
59:00 - the kindred's curse
01:03:58 - beartown
...more
1h 11min
August 01, 2025 The Search for the ULTIMATE Book Trope... Which Trope is Best? [EP#4]
In this episode, Freya & Jaime sit down and search for our absolute FAVOURITE book trope.

Follow us on Instagram: @onceuponatimezonepod
Watch our video podcasts on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponaTimeZonePodcast⁠⁠⁠

Jaime's socials:
⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@jaimefok⁠⁠⁠
Instagram: @jaimefok
Tiktok: @jaime.fok

Freya's socials:
⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@freyvalerio⁠⁠⁠
Instagram: @freyv_reads
Tiktok: @freyvalerio

00:00 - intro & current reads
06:09 - fantasy tropes
34:22 - romance tropes
01:01:52 - our ultimate tropes
...more
1h 4min
July 25, 2025 Your Bookish Unpopular Opinions... Do We Agree or Disagree? [EP#3]
In this episode, Freya & Jaime sit down and go through YOUR unpopular opinions about books.

Follow us on Instagram: @onceuponatimezonepod
Watch our video podcasts on YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponaTimeZonePodcast⁠⁠

Jaime's socials:
⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@jaimefok⁠⁠
Instagram: @jaimefok
Tiktok: @jaime.fok

Freya's socials:
⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@freyvalerio⁠⁠
Instagram: @freyv_reads
Tiktok: @freyvalerio

00:00 - intro & current reads
05:10 - I'm a fan of instalove
07:20 - smut is boring and ruins a book
10:03 - second chance romance is hard to get right
12:13 - Emily Henry is overrated
16:22 - I hate Lizzie (Boys of Tommen)
18:14 - Iron Flame was great, and gets too much hate
20:59 - cracking spines and folding corners is OK
23:39 - sprayed edges are so overdone
25:34 - romantasy is overrated
29:25 - people mostly down on romantasy because it's a genre women love
31:22 - there is no reason romance books need to be over 400 pages
34:15 - people who read only one or two genres, or only romance, need to be more diverse
36:52 - I hate colour coded bookshelves
39:16 - Silver Elite hate only started because people felt entitled to the author's identity
43:11 - Carley Fortune books have no substance
45:25 - listening to audiobooks is not reading
49:01 - big books are normally better
50:30 - every fairy/fae book is boring

...more
55min
July 18, 2025 Our MOST Anticipated Book Releases For the Rest of 2025 [EP#2]
In this episode, Freya & Jaime sit down and chat about our most anticipated book releases for the rest of the year.

Books mentioned:
Three Shattered Souls - Mai Corland
Not Quite Dead Yet - Holly Jackson
Katabasis - RF Kuang
Wild Reverence - Rebecca Ross
Alchemy of Secrets - Stephanie Garber
Holly - Adalyn Grace
Mate - Ali Hazelwood
Fallen City - Adrienne Young
The Strength of the Few - James Islington

Follow us on Instagram: @onceuponatimezonepod
Watch our video podcasts on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponaTimeZonePodcast⁠

Jaime's socials:
⁠https://www.youtube.com/@jaimefok⁠
Instagram: @jaimefok
Tiktok: @jaime.fok

Freya's socials:
⁠https://www.youtube.com/@freyvalerio⁠
Instagram: @freyv_reads
Tiktok: @freyvalerio

00:00 - intro & current reads
04:45 - three shattered souls
08:26 - not quite dead yet
12:29 - katabasis
15:35 - wild reverence
19:30 - alchemy of secrets
22:42 - holly
26:10 - mate
31:24 - fallen city
33:29 - the strength of the few

...more
39min
July 11, 2025 What Types of Readers are We? Get to Know Us & Our Reader Colors [EP#1]
In this episode, Freya & Jaime sit down and take the Read Your Color quiz to learn more about our own reading styles and book preferences.

Syd BookWorrom’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE2JPs5kXBQ
Read Your Color: https://www.readyourcolor.com/

Follow us on Instagram: @onceuponatimezonepod
Watch our video podcasts on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponaTimeZonePodcast

Jaime's socials:
https://www.youtube.com/@jaimefok
Instagram: @jaimefok
Tiktok: @jaime.fok

Freya's socials:
https://www.youtube.com/@freyvalerio
Instagram: @freyv_reads
Tiktok: @freyvalerio

00:00 - intro & current reads
03:04 - the read your color quiz
06:34 - taking the quiz
33:22 - going through our results
...more
51min
July 04, 2025 Are these 10 VIRAL book series ACTUALLY worth the hype? [Special Pilot Episode]
Welcome to our Pilot Episode! This episode was originally posted on Jaime's YouTube channel as our trial run.

In this episode, Freya & Jaime sit down and talk through 10 popular fantasy series to see if they are worth reading or not.

Follow us on Instagram: @onceuponatimezonepod
Watch our video podcasts on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponaTimeZonePodcast

Jaime's socials:
https://www.youtube.com/@jaimefok
Instagram: @jaimefok
Tiktok: @jaime.fok

Freya's socials:
https://www.youtube.com/@freyvalerio
Instagram: @freyv_reads
Tiktok: @freyvalerio

00:00 - intro 01:02 - current reads05:09 - let’s talk series05:52 - zodiac academy13:18 - quicksilver23:32 - divine rivals31:32 - powerless40:22 - the cosmere48:33 - the grishaverse57:53 - the cruel prince01:05:16 - the empyrean01:17:16 - sarah j maas01:30:00 - the hunger games
...more
1h 43min

FAQs about Once Upon a Time Zone: A Bookish Podcast:

How many episodes does Once Upon a Time Zone: A Bookish Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 7 episodes available.

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