Verified answer

I read both books and immensely loved both. Both characters are strong and strong-willed.

Who do I think is better: well, in terms of what you've said (surving the arena/mountains), I'd say Katsa.

Who do I think is better as a character: Katniss.

Katsa is definitely a survivor. That's her strength- she can survive anything and everything. It's what makes her special. However, that kind of rubbed me wrong as I read it. Who wants a character who can survive anything? She's never an underdog, she never really struggles. Sure, she spends most of her life under the control of the king, being forced with suitors, etc. And I know it's not that everything is easy for her. In fact, I liked her until I heard what her Grace was. I mean, really? Survival? How is that for an underdog? She could kill anyone without really trying. I feel like she could have done anything and got out of it alive, and so I sort of stopped worrying about her and started worrying for Poe instead. Basically, in my eyes, she was too powerful.

As for Katniss, she isn't quite so strong. I honestly don't know if she could have survived the mountain with everything else on her back. She's just a kid, and yes, she won the Hunger Games, but a lot of that was sheer luck. No one expected her to win, but she made it through anyway. Sometimes she needed help, and she didn't always come out on top. She didn't get everything she wanted. In fact, she lost a lot during her journey. I didn't know if she was going to survive it, but I still rooted for her and hoped that she would survive throughout the whole thing. Plus, emotionally, she seemed more realistic to me. Even in Mockingjay, when she sort of lost her touch, at least I understood why. She went through a lot, and she was a lot more realistic than Katsa.

So basically, I do think Katsa is better at survival and a lot of other things. But I think Katniss is better in general.

Both are such different characters. Katsa is a powerful and strong fighter not only because she works at maintaining her skills but because she's magically graced with survival. Katniss is nobody's fool and is a skilled fighter because she works hard to hone her skills. Katniss knows how to read her prey/enemy; Katsa is a skilled strategist.

Personally, I think that they are equally matched and probably wouldn't want to fight each other, but would form a strong alliance. On a side note, I think that Graceling is a stronger novel.

Hope this helps.

I've never heard of this popular Katsa but I think Katniss because I know her. Katniss has a way of thinking that always works things through and I think that's pretty cool.