Fated Hearts Review

I have been watching so many historical C dramas for the last few months and Fated Hearts (一笑随歌) is another to add to the list. The story also has a female general as the protagonist and I can already think of 2 that I have watched in the last one month that shares this feature. Thus, it does take a bit more to get me excited as there were others before this that have caught my attention. In fact, I was apprehensive when I saw that this is a 38-episode drama which means significant time investment. Without much publicity and hype, my expectations were kind of low for this title. But it turned out to be a nice surprise. My Fated Hearts review below will expand on my thoughts on this drama.

My rating: 8.5/10
Episodes: 38
Type: Historical romance
Aired: October 2025
Images credit: iQIYI Facebook

The Cast Of Fated Hearts

• Li Qin as Fu Yi Xiao
• Chen Zhe Yuan as Feng Sui Ge
• Chen He Yi as Xia Jing Shi
• Xia Meng as Feng Xi Yang
• Xin Kai Li as Ling Xue Ying
• Zuo Ye as Murong Yao
• Qin Tian Yu as Xia Jing Yan
• Wang Zi Teng as Lu Ke
• Tian Guang Yu as Yun Fang
• Zhang Cheng Lang as Ning Fei
• Sheng Ying Hao as Xiao Wei Ran
• Eddie Cheung as Zhuang Shen
• Zhao Bin as Feng Ping Cheng
• Xu Xiao Sa as Empress Zhuang
• Ding Jia Wen as Feng Cheng Yang

Main Characters

Fu Yi Xiao

Yi Xiao is a Zhennan Army general of Jinxiu Kingdom. She is also the army’s top archer. Yi Xiao is decisive, smart, and tough. She is not someone to be messed with as she will not let those who betray her go scot-free. Yi Xiao was an orphan who has pledged allegiance to Prince Zhennan for saving her from a death camp in the past. She also has taken in 3 kids as her disciples, namely Shun Zi, A Fang, and Xiao Jiu.

Feng Sui Ge

Sui Ge is the First Prince of Susha Kingdom. He is known as the Killer God for his cold-blooded killing. Sui Ge appears cold and ruthless which makes him a feared personality. He is also a capable military commander of the Feng Battalion which has won many battles for the kingdom. His father is the Emperor of Susha Kingdom but they do not share a good relationship. His mother was the previous Empress but died when he was still a boy.

Supporting Characters

Xia Jing Shi

Jing Shi is the Prince of Zhennan of Jinxiu Kingdom. He leads the Zhennan Army and is Sui Ge’s enemy in the war between the 2 kingdoms. Jing Shi is ambitious and has his own personal agenda. He and Yi Xiao are lovers.

Feng Xi Yang

Xi Yang is the doted Princess of Susha Kingdom as well as Sui Ge’s younger sister. She is a sweet and innocent young lady who has been well-protected by her brother. She has a crush on Jing Shi and regards him as the love of her life.

Ling Xue Ying

Xue Ying is the young mistress of Zhengnian Villa which is a neutral medical ground between Susha and Jinxiu Kingdoms. It is a place for healing and Xue Ying is a medical doctor like her renowned father, Lord Ling. She is a kind and helpful soul with a passion to treat the sick.

Murong Yao

Murong Yao is Sui Ge’s best friend since young. He is the son and heir of Marquis Changle. Murong Yao is a playful man who spends his time having fun and frolicking with women on the surface.

Xia Jing Yan

Jing Yan is the Emperor of Jinxiu Kingdom and Jing Shi’s half brother. Her mother is Empress Dowager Jing. Jing Yan lives a life of debauchery but loves his power and position which he uses to keep Jing Shi in check.

Lu Ke & Yun Fang

Both of these men are Sui Ge’s loyal subordinates. Lu Ke is a lieutenant while Yun Fang is the deputy commander of the Feng Battalion.

Ning Fei & Xiao Wei Ran

Ning Fei and Wei Ran are Yi Xiao’s sworn brothers. They were from the same death camp and shared a very close bond. The 3 of them then ended up serving Jing Shi in the Zhennan Army. They are loyal to him as he saved them from the death camp in the past. Ning Fei is the Guard Officer in Jing Shi’s mansion while Xiao Ran is Jing Shi’s military advisor.

Zhuang Shen

Zhuang Shen is the Prime Minister of Susha Kingdom. He is a patient and strategic man who is constantly scheming behind the scenes against Sui Ge whom he views as a threat. His only son has died and he is assisted by his nephew, Zhuang Ming, and foster son, Zhuang He. Zhuang Ming is also the Vice Minister of Justice.

Feng Ping Cheng

Ping Cheng is the Emperor of Susha Kingdom. He is a shrewd ruler and harsh father to Sui Ge. Both son and father do not get along as Sui Ge blames his father for sweeping his mother’s death under the carpet for political expediency. The Emperor also has a beloved daughter, Xi Yang, and a younger son, Cheng Yang.

Empress Zhuang

Empress Zhuang is the current empress of Susha Kingdom. She is also the daughter of PM Zhuang. Empress Zhuang is also a schemer like her father but not as smart and astute. Her goal is to push her own son to succeed the throne in line with her father’s plan.

Feng Cheng Yang

Cheng Yang is the Second Prince of Susha Kingdom and Sui Ge’s half-brother. He is a young man whose only passion is in swordsmanship with little interest in politics. He looks up to Sui Ge and the 2 brothers share a warm relationship. But Cheng Yang is inexperienced and naive which makes him being easily manipulated by his mother and grandfather.

Synopsis

Susha and Jinxiu Kingdoms are constantly at war. In the Battle of Pingling, the First Prince of Susha, Sui Ge, is shot by Jinxiu’s top archer and female general, Yi Xiao, while on the verge of victory. During Sui Ge’s retreat, he barely survives an ambush by assassins. This means his military plans has been leaked by someone on his side who knows his retreat route. At the same time, Yi Xiao who should be the heroine for Jinxiu is betrayed and shot by someone close to her. She falls off a cliff after getting shot and loses her memory.

Sui Ge meets Yi Xiao by chance and forces her back to Susha with him. Their hatred for each other slowly evaporates as they learn to cooperate to flush out the traitors on both sides. Sui Ge needs Yi Xiao to recall what happened as the one who wanted to kill her could be connected to the traitor in his camp. With the Empress’ family scheming against him and his Emperor father being unsympathetic, Sui Ge is faced by hostile enemies on both fronts.

On the other hand, Yi Xiao wants her revenge against the person who tried to kill her. As her memories return vaguely in bits and pieces, she has to learn fast who is her real enemy and why they want to kill her. As her cooperation with Su Ge lengthens, they fall in love with each other. Together, they work to unravel all the conspiracies and schemes to get to the villains.

Fated Hearts Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)

Fated Hearts has a happy ending. Jing Shi is killed in the final duel with Sui Ge. Yi Xiao’s shot helps Sui Ge to find the opening needed to kill off Jing Shi. Before he dies, Jing Shi says that his only mistake was shooting Yi Xiao. He thought the throne was the most important thing to him but realizes that Yi Xiao means more to him.

After knowing that his mother had killed his father, Cheng Yang wants to abdicate and brings his mother to guard his father’s mausoleum together. But his mother commits suicide instead rather than follow Cheng Yang’s decision.

Lu Ke and Yun Fang is now the commander of Imperial Guards and Feng Battalion respectively. The drama ends with Sui Ge and Yi Xiao spending time together. He has agreed to a 10-year truce with Jinxiu for the people’s sake despite Jinxiu being weak with a new Emperor.

Cheng Yang has moved to live in seclusion at a temple and wants to return the throne to Sui Ge. But Sui Ge will decide only after the 3-year mourning period. In the meantime, he has handed over the governance to Xi Yang who needs something to focus on after her despair of losing the baby she was carrying and Jing Yang. She can’t conceive anymore after Jing Shi stabbed her in the stomach. Sui Ge will let her become Empress if she does well during these 3 years.

After the mourning period, Sui Ge wants to hold a grand wedding he owes Yi Xiao. He also gives her the best bow as a gift which Yi Xiao hopes she doesn’t have to use implying a wish for peace.

When Did The Leads Get Together?

As Yi Xiao and Sui Ge work together to find out who killed her and their connection to the traitor within his camp, they begin to grow closer and closer. Sui Ge is genuinely concerned about Yi Xiao and her injuries and she could gradually feel his sincerity. He tells her that he is happy to have met her and she is the first person he feels close to in Episode 17. She asks him to save such sweet words for his wedding night to which he replies that it’s a deal. This implies he will marry her one day.

They become a couple in the same episode after Yi Xiao overexerted her injured hand to help him counter Jing Shi who was fleeing Susha. She was risking permanent injury by doing so. Yi Xiao confesses to Sui Ge that she is willing to sacrifice for him because she loves him. They have a loving relationship and protect each other wholeheartedly. The couple consummated their relationship in Episode 25.

Is There Any Breakup?

No, there is no breakup after Yi Xiao and Sui Ge got together. But he loses part of his memory of her due to a blood clot in his brain in Episode 30 following the attempt on his life by Murong Yao and his father. Sui Ge only recalls that Yi Xiao is his enemy from Jinxiu who shot him at the Battle of Pingling. So, he gets agitated each time he sees her and wants to kill her.

In Episode 31, Yi Xiao offers her life for Sui Ge to take if he wants to because she has promised not to leave him earlier. Her sincerity and willingness to die to fulfill his desire gets through to him and he regains all his memories of her in Episode 32.

Is There A Love Triangle?

Jing Shi and Yi Xiao were lovers before she lost her memory. In Episode 9, he tells her who he is when they meet again. He says that she is his dearest but admits that he has been decreed to marry Xi Yang in a peace alliance. To Yi Xiao, it doesn’t matter anymore as she has no recollection of him. But Jing Shi vows to protect her a lifetime even if he can’t marry her as he feels that he owes her. This is because he is the culprit who shot her and this is revealed in Episode 11 through his flashback. After Yi Xiao discovered that Jing Shi is the one who tried to kill her, she tells him that they can’t go back to what it was before in Episode 14. They are now enemies in her mind.

While Jing Shi is still yearning for Yi Xiao, Xi Yang is in love with him. In Episode 8, Xi Yang reveals to Jing Shi that she has already fallen for him the first time they met although he has no recollection of the meeting. So, she willingly agrees to the marriage which is forced upon Jing Shi by the Emperor of Jinxiu to keep him in Susha. They have their wedding in Episode 16. He rejects her on their wedding night. In order to earn his love, Xi Yang stole her father’s imperial token and helps Jing Shi to escape from Susha and return to Jinxiu together in Episode 17.

Who Tried To Kill Yi Xiao?

Wei Ran tries to kill Yi Xiao while they are chasing an assassin together in a back alley in Episode 12. He insists he is doing it for Jinxiu. He fails and is captured by Sui Ge who allows Ning Fei to visit his sworn brother in Episode 13. Through their conversation, Yi Xiao learns that it was Jing Shi who tried to kill her.

Yi Xiao confronts Jing Shi over it and regains her memory of what happened in Episode 14. Jing Shi took money to fund his army from a masked man. In return, he will kill Sui Ge in the Battle of Pingling. The plan was to deceive Sui Ge that victory is imminent and lure him to a pass that comprises many civilians. Jing Shi’s soldiers will masquerade as civilians and use them as shields. Once Sui Ge and his men enter the pass, they will be ambushed and killed. But when Yi Xiao shot Sui Ge, the latter was forced to retreat. Hence, the plan failed.

Yi Xiao only learned about the plan after Sui Ge retreated. She overheard the conversation between Jing Shi and a masked man. Jing Shi tried to justify his action by claiming that he is doing it for their future. She disagreed with using civilians as sacrificial lambs and thought the masked man was up to no good. Yi Xiao was about to kill the masked man when Jing Shi shot her to stop her from doing so.

Jing Shi tells Yi Xiao that he didn’t mean to kill her which was why he aimed at her shoulder. He realized that she is the most important to him after the fact and now wants a reconciliation. But she turns him down and says they are now enemies instead.

Who Is The Masked Man?

The masked man is Murong Yao. Yi Xiao manages to track him down by following his assassins’ trail in Episode 19. Murong Yao and PM Zhuang are shown to be partners in the common goal to kill the Emperor of Susha and Sui Ge but they distrust each other in Episode 21. Yi Xiao breaks the news to Sui Ge about Murong Yao’s real personality in Episode 22.

Sui Ge breaks off their ties of brotherhood after confronting Murong Yao. The latter justifies his action by blaming Sui Ge’s father and their different in status. The bitterness was sown years ago when they were still boys and being pursued by assassins. Murong Yao’s father, Murong Zhong, had to save Sui Ge first before saving his own son because if Sui Ge is killed, the whole Murong Clan will be executed. After helping Sui Ge to escape, Murong Zhong shielded his son with his body and was slashed repeatedly until he nearly died. Murong Yao also lost a few toes from the attack which prevented him from becoming a general like his father as he can no longer ride a horse.

After the incident, Murong Zhong was still punished by the Emperor for the danger Sui Ge was put under. He was sent to the north to guard the border. Years of harsh winter in the north have taken a toll on Murong Zhong’s health. Being a filial son, Murong Yao feels that his father has not got due recognition from Sui Ge’s father although they were compatriots who fought together to establish the kingdom. it is not fair to him that Sui Ge’s father is the Emperor while his father is merely a marquis who is at the mercy of the former.

His Mistake

When PM Zhuang’s plan to kill Sui Ge and the Emperor of Susha fails, Murong Zhong has to beg the Emperor to spare his son in Episode 27. Murong Yao’s mistake causes his father to turn from a loyal subject to a murderer. In order to save his son, Murong Zhong colludes with Empress Zhuang who has stabbed the Emperor earlier. He didn’t ask for help but watches the Emperor bleed to death in Episode 28. He then kills the Emperor’s eunuch to hide the murder and set up the crime scene to implicate Sui Ge as the Emperor’s killer. Together with his son, they then try to kill Sui Ge who was branded as a rebel. Murong Yao is announced as the brave guard who fought off and executed Sui Ge.

The cooperation with Empress Zhuang means Cheng Yang gets to be the new Emperor while the Murong Yao would get position and power. But the 2 distrust each other and become locked in a power struggle to build their power base in Episode 33. At the same time, Cheng Yang knows his mother is involved in his father’s death through his own observation and investigation after becoming Emperor. He meets with Sui Ge in Episode 34 who advises him to strip Murong Yao of his position.

Sui Ge also kills Murong Zhong after regaining control of his army in Episode 35. Before he dies, Murong Zhong tells Sui Ge that it was Empress Zhuang who stabbed his father. Sui Ge then kills Murong Yao in a fight for his betrayal in Episode 36.

Jing Shi’s Obsession For Revenge

In Episode 19, it is revealed that Jing Shi’s mother was a palace maid. So, he was at the mercy of Empress Dowager Jing and bullied by his half-brother after the death of his emperor father. Empress Dowager Jing has poisoned him to keep him under control as he has to rely on her for the antidote each month. After returning to Jinxiu, Jing Shi quietly puts a plan in place to rebel.

With the Emperor of Jinxiu, Jing Yang, being besotted by Xi Yang and listening to her, Empress Dowager Jing’s relationship with her son deteriorates. Jing Shi takes advantage of the situation and fans the flames between them so that he can secure the Empress Dowager’s trust in Episode 34. When she asks him to kill Xi Yang, he offers Xi Yang a chance to escape from Jinxiu. But Xi Yang rejects it as she doesn’t trust him anymore nor want his sympathy. She’d rather that they be enemies. With Xi Yang being pregnant with Jing Yang’s child in Episode 36, Jing Shi decides that both must be killed.

By tricking Empress Dowager Jing that he will kill Xi Yang, Jing Shi could have her support. But instead of targeting Xi Yang alone, his real motive is to kill Jing Yan which he does so in Episode 37. Jing Shi also stabs Xi Yang in the stomach and kills Empress Dowager Jing by forcing a poison pill down her throat in revenge in Episode 38. He tries to justify to Yi Xiao that everything that he did was for survival. But Yi Xiao tells him that his suffering has made him obsessed and he has dragged everyone into his hell with him.

Xi Yang’s Harsh Reality

Xi Yang sacrifices everything to help Jing Shi escape back to Jinxiu. She tells Jing Shi that she is willing to face hardships together with him. Her only wish is to have his love in Episode 21. However, Jing Shi replies that he can’t fulfill that wish. In Episode 23, Xi Yang wants to consummate their marriage but Jing Shi refuses. He tells her that she can’t take Yi Xiao’s place in his heart.

Xi Yang starts to regret sacrificing everything for Jing Shi in Episode 25. When she disparages Yi Xiao whom Jing Shi is still yearning for, he slaps her in anger. In Episode 26, Jing Shi didn’t bother to help Xi Yang when she is stopped by Jing Yan’s guards from leaving when she wants to go back to see her sick father. She no longer has any feelings for him and proudly divorces him when he gives her a letter to annul their marriage in Episode 28.

Xi Yang turns down Jing Shi’s offer to help her after she got news of her father’s and brother’s deaths in Episode 29. She is no longer the innocent Xi Yang of the past. Instead she turns to Jing Yan to help her investigate who killed her family. In return, she becomes his lover in Episode 30. Jing Yan becomes attached to her and she uses him to her advantage including targeting Jing Shi in revenge and requesting him to kill the Murong father and son to avenge her father’s death in Episode 32.

However, unknown to her, Jing Yan does have real feelings for her instead of just a transactional relationship. She only finds out in Episode 37 when he begs Jing Shi to spare her life before Jing Shi kills him in a rebellion.

What Happened To Sui Ge’s Mother?

The Emperor of Susha tells Sui Ge about his mother during a heated quarrel between them in Episode 24. He wants Sui Ge to have the ambition and ruthlessness to be his successor. It disappoints him that Sui Ge doesn’t covet the throne. He is more like his mother, Qing Yu. The Emperor claims that he has given the best to Qing Yu but she didn’t reciprocate. Qing Yu was a woman with an independent mind who didn’t allow the Emperor to control her. She saw that the man she married had changed after becoming Emperor and was trapped by power. Qing Yu didn’t want Sui Ge to follow his father’s path but the Emperor wanted to groom him to be the heir.

At the same time, PM Zhuang accused Qing Yu of being a Jinxiu spy with faked evidence. The Emperor used it to force Qing Yu to stay in the palace. If she insists on leaving, she can’t take their children along. This caused her to point her sword at the Emperor in anger when she was barred from leaving which gave PM Zhuang an excuse to kill her on the spot. After Qing Yu’s death, the Emperor molded Sui Ge into the person he wanted him to be in preparation of being his successor. In fact, he already has prepared an edict to make Sui Ge the Crown Prince but the latter kicks it away and leaves in anger in Episode 25.

PM Zhuang’s Revenge

In Episode 21, PM Zhuang is shown to be bitter towards the Emperor of Susha. He wants the Emperor to awaken after falling unconscious from a terminal illness because he wants him to witness Sui Ge’s death. This is a payback for his son’s death. Together with Empress Zhuang who is resentful that the Emperor still has Sui Ge’s late mother in his heart, they want Cheng Yang to succeed the throne in Episode 22.

In Episode 23, PM Zhuang expresses what has been in his heart for years while he is alone with the Emperor. He mistakenly thought the Emperor is still unconscious while the latter shrewdly pretends to be so. PM Zhuang is bitter that his only son, Jing Heng, was executed despite begging the Emperor to spare his life. Jing Heng was preparing a fortress and a private army to house the clan when his father retires. He felt his father shouldn’t be pleasing and serving the Emperor forever but be free and protected by their own soldiers. Like Murong Zhong, PM Zhuang had helped and fought alongside the Emperor to establish Susha Kingdom. As a result of Jing Heng’s foolishness, he was executed for treason.

PM Zhuang’s plan to kill Sui Ge as payback fails in Episode 26. He is captured by Sui Ge who demands that he clears his mother’s name. PM Zhuang confesses that he fabricated evidence against Sui Ge’s mother and killed her. In return, he asks for his family to be spared. Empress Zhuang pleads with the Emperor to let her father go but is turned down. PM Zhuang is then killed by Sui Ge.

Emperor of Susha’s Karma

After PM Zhuang’s death and the Emperor’s decree to punish the Zhuang clan in Episode 27, Empress Zhuang requests for an audience with her husband. The Emperor informs her that he doesn’t want to see her anymore after this although he will allow her to keep her position. He also won’t pass the throne to Cheng Yang but will give him the title of Grand Prince. Cheng Yang is expected to assist Sui Ge as the next ruler.

Empress Zhuang ends up stabbing the Emperor when he lets down his guard during the audience. Murong Zhong who happened to be outside refuses to help the Emperor but lets him bleed to death. This is because Murong Zhong wants to save his son who has cooperated with PM Zhuang to rebel. Only with the death of the Emperor and Sui Ge, his son’s life will be spared with Empress Zhuang’s cooperation. Murong Zhong also kills Eunuch Ma to hide the Emperor’s death.

Fated Hearts Review – Fast Paced Drama

Fated Hearts begins with another amnesiac protagonist that I was wary of sitting through a recycled plot. A protagonist who has lost their memory is nothing new in historical C dramas. We have seen it in Serendipity and more recently, Shadow Love. 2 nations are at war and power struggles on both sides complicate matters. The female protagonist gets shot, falls off a cliff, but survives. And no prize for guessing what happens to her. She loses her memory, of course! That is why I wasn’t expecting much in the beginning because it feels so cliche.

However, what it has going for it is the bit of mystery about who was trying to kill her. Because she has lost her memory, she doesn’t know who shot her and why. So, viewers are kept interested as the screenwriter successfully evoked a sense of mystery and curiosity. This is largely aided by the fast pace nature of the drama. Initially, I was thinking the story is going to get dragged out with 38 episodes in total. But surprisingly, it doesn’t feel so. The story flows smoothly and quickly with interesting happenings in every episode. Just when you expect things to slow down, some matters will crop up to push the story forward.

The only blip to me where the story is concerned is the trope and minor subplot towards the last quarter of the drama. [Spoilers Alert] This time it is the male protagonist’s turn to lose his memory. Fortunately, this doesn’t last long and the situation is resolved fairly quickly for us to get back into the main plot. The reason why Fated Hearts can stretch up to 38 episodes and still has a fast pace generally is because it has a few villains to take up the screen time.

Villains And Their Backstories

I think the villains in Fated Hearts have been carefully written to make viewers understand their motivations. Although there are a few of them, everything has been weaved together nicely so that the whole story still feels connected rather than running all over the place. Each villain has their story to tell which makes their motivations feel valid. Therefore, the overall drama becomes more compelling to watch.

Furthermore, there are 2 kingdoms in the plot with their own internal palace intrigues. This is why the drama can have so many episodes as there is enough happenings to fill all of them. Sometimes, too many villains and happenings can make a drama lose its focus. But Fated Hearts avoided this pitfall by linking most of the villains to a common goal. The last villain is tied back to the female protagonist which started the whole saga.

Basically, most episodes are packed with highs to make you feel excited and glued to the screen. There are little dull moments compared to other dramas that tend to have fillers to take up screen time. Each of the villain’s arc is closed satisfactorily and they all get the dues they deserve which increases viewers’ satisfaction. Of course, the romance between the leads also helps to make this drama more enjoyable.

An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance

Dramas with enemies turn lovers romance are aplenty from The Prisoner Of Beauty to Wonderland Of Love. Therefore, the thought of having another drama with the same script may put you off as it does sound like a trope. However, Fated Hearts did well to make good use of this common theme to its advantage. Firstly, the script gives the enemies part sufficient tension to start off the relationship. This tension automatically makes you feel drawn to their story. Even at the very beginning, their strong connection is immediately established when the female lead shot and struck the male lead with her arrow to make him lose the war against her side. The hatred and brutality will make you sit up and take notice.

Secondly, the relationship progresses gradually. The romance doesn’t happen out of the blue but with a strong foundation to make it sensible. So, it doesn’t feel fake or forced. You don’t find that they are trying too hard. The plot is such that the couple have to work together to find out who tried to kill the girl because that will lead to the traitor that the guy wants to flush out from his camp. So, like it or not, they are forced to cooperate and the relationship progresses from there.

Lastly, once they are together as a couple, they are still equals. Many dramas will have the girl being the protected one with the guy saving her from danger. In Fated Hearts, the female protagonist is as capable as her lover. They are a team who work well together and he respects her decisions. It is a mutually supportive relationship and they trust each other wholeheartedly. It is great to watch if you don’t care for the usual misunderstandings and breakups.

Acting & Chemistry

Chen Zhe Yuan’s most popular drama to date could well be Hidden Love and his last drama that I watched was Sword And Fairy 4. If I’m not mistaken, he has never played a general in his historical dramas. So, it comes as a surprise that he handled the role of Feng Sui Ge rather well in Fated Hearts. The aura of a prince and commander is there together with the intensity and ruthlessness that the role demands.

Li Qin is a veteran by now and her list of dramas is a long one. I have not watched any of her recent dramas except Thousand Years For You which is already about 3 years back. Given her experience, the role of Fu Yi Xiao isn’t going to trouble her too much. Even her fighting scenes are up to the mark for me. The way she displayed confidence in the character will automatically make you convinced that she is a fierce and battle-hardened general. But the grace also peeked through to give us a very likable female general.

Despite the age gap between Chen Zhe Yuan and Li Qin, both of them still manage to generate strong chemistry as onscreen lovers. From the very beginning, the chemistry is already palpable as they started out hating each other. Once they become lovers, the chemistry remains blazing for a satisfying romance to take place.

My Verdict – Watch!

I think Fated Hearts is definitely one of the better historical dramas so far this year. It does have elements of the usual – amnesiac protagonist, falling off a cliff, revenge, power struggle, etc – but it also has heartwarming factors not often seen in palace dramas. The male lead and his half-brother truly care about each other rather than the throne for a change.

All the notable characters have their stories adequately fleshed out from the male lead’s best friend to the second male lead’s lunatic half-brother. Instead of using long-winded tales to tell them, they are briskly told using important details inserted into key moments. Hence, you won’t feel that the drama is a drag. You will also understand the context and the characters’ motivations. As a result, the story is captivating because the characters’ actions are driven by their feelings and sufferings which are very relatable.

Perhaps the last quarter of the drama may be its greatest weakness. The male lead’s sister’s arc could be a little exaggerated with a lunatic emperor in the picture. Another subplot of a reclusive clan with miracle doctors may also be unnecessary. But they don’t really mar the whole drama as they don’t overshadow the main plot.

For this Fated Hearts review, I would rate it 8.5/10. Watch it if you like enemies to lovers romance and a power couple who treat each other as equals. There are a few villains to bring down and not everything will be revealed upfront to make it too predictable. This ensures your interest will be sustained throughout which means the drama is worth the time spent.