Once Upon a Time Zone: A Bookish Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let's do a book club style deep dive today. The book in question... The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. We LOVED reading about Kaladin, Shallan, Dalinar, Szeth & Hoid, and cannot WAIT to continue the Stormlight Archive series and the Cosmere in general!

As a note - the first portion of this episode is SPOILER FREE. We give a warning in the episode once we start going into spoiler territory!

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

(09:01) spoiler free brief synopsis

(11:18) the magic system

(14:08) brandon sanderson writes like a plain chip

(22:31) cosmere reading order

(25:03) our brandon sanderson rankings

(28:00) spoilers start!

(28:17) kaladin

(43:16) shallan

(54:44) dalinar

(01:04:59) szeth

(01:08:33) hoid