Once Upon a Time Zone: A Bookish Podcast

By Jaime Fok and Freya ValerioArts Books

Once Upon a Time Zone: A Bookish Podcast episodes

August 29, 2025 Can We Guess the Book From the First Sentence? [EP#8]
BOOK CHALLENGE TIME! Let's challenge our memories to see if we can remember the first lines of some of our favourite popular books. Take a stroll down our reader history and play along with us!

Jaime's Options:
A Darker Shade of Magic
The Favourites
Shadow and Bone
Yours Truly
Caraval
When the Moon Hatched
Beartown
Mistborn
The Seven-Year Slip
Wild Love

Freya's Options:
Magnolia Parks
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Beach Read
Say You’ll Remember Me
The Prison Healer
Spark of the Everflame
A River Enchanted
Powerless
One for My Enemy
One Dark Window

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
(08:47) the game
(10:42) round one
(12:34) round two
(15:39) round three
(16:57) round four
(18:49) round five
(20:47) round six
(23:36) round seven
(25:10) round eight
(26:55) round nine
(29:27) round ten
(33:08) round eleven
(34:30) round twelve
(36:00) round thirteen
(39:16) round fourteen
(40:06) round fifteen
(41:50) reflection
(49:52) next episode announcement
52 min
August 22, 2025 The Books That Were ALMOST Perfect... and Why [EP#7]
Let's talk about those books that we would highly recommend, and were still quite possibly 5 star reads... but just had one element that made it not quite perfect. Lots of good book recs in this one for you!

Bailee's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKjj01Z38dc

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
(07:46) how we became friends
(11:03) recursion
(14:39) malibu rising
(19:35) yumi and the nightmare painter
(23:49) once upon a broken heart
(28:50) the favorites
(31:07) masters of death
(34:47) shark heart
(38:47) just for the summer
(43:17) ready or not
(46:03) the prison healer
(50:23) blood over bright haven
56 min
August 15, 2025 THIS or THAT? (Book Edition) - Fav Authors, Reading Habits & Hot Takes [EP#6]
Let's play This or That (bookish edition) - comparing 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
1 hr 8 min
August 08, 2025 All the BOOK SERIES We are In the Middle Of (Are These Worth Reading?) [EP#5]
Let's discuss the book series that we are currently in the middle of reading. Will we continue or DNF?

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
1 hr 11 min
August 01, 2025 The Search for the ULTIMATE Book Trope... Which Trope is Best? [EP#4]
Let's search for our absolute FAVOURITE book trope. Will it be enemies to lovers, fated mates, slow burn, found family, or something else?

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
1 hr 4 min
July 25, 2025 Your Bookish Unpopular Opinions... Do We Agree or Disagree? [EP#3]
Let's go through YOUR unpopular opinions and bookish hot takes. Do we think audiobooks count as reading, do we love or hate insta-love, what are our thoughts on sprayed edges? Find out in this episode!

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

55 min
July 18, 2025 Our MOST Anticipated Book Releases For the Rest of 2025 [EP#2]
Let's chat about our upcoming 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

39 min
July 11, 2025 What Types of Readers are We? Get to Know Us & Our Reader Colors [EP#1]
Let's 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
51 min
July 04, 2025 Are these 10 VIRAL book series ACTUALLY worth the hype? [Special Pilot Episode]
Let's chat about Zodiac Academy, Fourth Wing, Sarah J Maas & More! In this episode, Freya & Jaime sit down and talk through 10 popular fantasy series to see if they are worth reading or not.

Welcome to our Pilot Episode! This episode was originally posted on Jaime's YouTube channel as our trial run.

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 reads
(05:09) let’s talk series
(05:52) zodiac academy
(13:18) quicksilver
(23:32) divine rivals
(31:32) powerless
(40:22) the cosmere
(48:33) the grishaverse
(57:53) the cruel prince
(01:05:16) the empyrean
(01:17:16) sarah j maas
(01:30:00) the hunger games
1 hr 43 min

About Once Upon a Time Zone: A Bookish Podcast

From the publisher's feed

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 fantas, and fiction - we'll dive into what we are reading, TBRs, book recs, and more!