Grimlock ♥ Ultra Magnus

I did like some things about this, like the mentions of Mission City, and Sam Witwicky, which tells us this is set in Bayverse.   (There is no Sam Witwicky in any other verse; it's Spike Witwicky.)   I like the amounts of Ironhide, Optimus, Ratchet, and Bumblebee since I originally thought this would only be about Gears and Kevin based on the backs of the original three books. 

But there's a lot I don't like.   The fact that there is breaking of movie continuity - the one I mentioned in an update.   Ratchet is unable to fix Bumblebee, but Bee allows him to try.   He certainly doesn't keep using the radio because he enjoys it and doesn't want to be fixed.   (Also, Aligned Bee is movie compliant in some aspects - mute, and looks - and takes offense to Smokescreen's suggestion that he shouldn't bother getting his voicebox fixed.   I believe movie Bee would be equally as offended.)   Not only that, he constantly tries to use his voice in these novels and then gets frustrated when he can't.   Which is it?   Does he like using the radio so much that he wants to use it exclusively, or not? 

If Optimus can't beat something, Gears shouldn't be able to, even with the help of a young boy.    If the bots can't figure something out, I doubt Kevin shouting out suggestions will help.   Gears, and team Prime have been fighting for how long?   Millennia?   Kevin has no experience in battle, even if his brother works for the army.   Not only that, a big deal is made of how no one knows Gears, and he's studying under Ironhide, and learning so much because 'Hide is such a taskmaster.   And then in the midst of battle, Gears is constantly giving out orders to Bee, which Bee takes.  It's not that Bee is stubborn about taking orders, so much as who's giving them.   It's been made pretty clear that Gears is far less experienced, so why is he constantly out thinking and out battling his more experienced comrades?  It doesn't make much sense. 

Nor does the fact that Kevin saves everyone's collective bacon all the time.   Sam pretty much followed leads others gave him, and he was supposed to be the big human star of the Bayverse.   Kevin seems to save people more often in more spectacular ways with more ingenuity.   It just makes him seem like a Gary Stu, and it drove me up the wall.   More so because the Gary Stu-ness of both Gears and Kevin was clearly made to make them seem like the stars of the show, and there were other ways to do so.   

The ending also hinges on a character changing sides.   The way he did so came off as contrived to me, and never rang true - not the first read through and even less so the second read through. 

Overall?   Unless you're a pretty hardcore Transformers fan, I wouldn't bother with these three.  Disappointing.