Somewhat Intriguing, But Not Really

Last Spring, I submitted 25 pages of my novel to a contest where the perk was to get direct feedback from three readers who are "industry insiders."  Here's a smattering of what I got back:

• There are a lot of unnecessary and misused colons. En dashes were used where em dashes were needed
• This novel will be very difficult to place
• Lots of good detail of the snow, clothing, hair movements, etc
• The first chapter is very long
• The first line is somewhat intriguing, but not really fascinating
• It is definitely original. I saw no cliches
• Writer has a very unique voice
• Main character seems dark, trapped in a horrible world
• I don't see any conflict. The mother is too domineering to allow it.
• The children talked in a manner appropriate for unsupervised, uncared for children of the era.
• Narrative vastly overwhelmed the dialogue.